What Type Of Moths Do I Have

When moths get into a home they can do all sorts of damage.

What type of moths do i have. Identify whether you have clothes moths or pantry moths. Read on for more information on clothes moths their identification the difference from stored food moths the damage. Or to pour some cereal out and. The last way you want to find out you have moths is to pull out your favorite shirt from the closet and find out that it has holes in it.

Moths dont actually eat fabric their main purpose is to reproduce its their larvae that do all the damage. Unlike butterflies many moth species get labeled as yard pests because their larvae have the potential to defoliate shrubs and trees. Homeowners usually come into contact with one of two types of moths. The female adult moths on the other hand have a forewing length of 7 13 mm and their forewings have darker colored tips with oblique markings.

Casemaking clothes moths feed from inside cases they make from silk and fibers of the infested garment. If you notice them in a closet or drawer damage to your clothing is. Most species of moth are nocturnal but there are also crepuscular and diurnal species. What kind of material do moths eat.

Ermine moths and tent caterpillar moths family lasiocampidae fit that bill. They feed on flour uncooked beans and rice cereal dog food and other dried foods. Pantry moths and clothes moths. Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order lepidoptera that are not butterflies with moths making up the vast majority of the orderthere are thought to be approximately 160000 species of moth many of which have yet to be described.

Well to be honest it is mostly their babies that do the damage. Pantry moths live in your kitchen cupboard or food pantry. Webbing clothes moth tineola bisselliella and casemaking clothes moth tinea pellionella clothes moths tend to stay around the clothing theyve infested and they are smaller than moths that infest pantriesthey have a general golden brown coloration with reddish hairs on the head their distinguishing feature. Just like their categories imply.

They spin a mat or tube of silk webbing to hide them from view during the feeding process. There are a few species of moth found in homes that can cause problems and these moths have differing preferences for materials which means their larvae cause slightly different damage to fabrics and materials for example. The caterpillars of both groups build and live in large silk tent structures attached to tree limbs. Understand that each type of moth feeds on a different type of material.

Clothes moths are often confused with indian meal moths but the two are actually very different primarily in the materials on which they feed and the places they are foundindian meal moths are pantry pests while clothes mothsas their name indicatesfeed on fabrics. Webbing moths prefer woolen items but may consume and damage other animal type products.