Clothes Moths

The most common clothes moth found in homes is the Webbing Clothes Moth. Adult Clothes moths are about 1/2 inch in length. They have a pale mottled gold color.

Clothes moths have wings but they are poor fliers. They prefer dark closets, attics, and other storage areas. If they are in your home they may have gotten there by flying in an open door or window. Sometimes they are inadvertently brought in along with used or hand-me-down clothing.

Larvae of clothes moths feed on wool, alpaca and cashmere, as-well-as fur or feathers. They will not feed on cotton, silk or synthetic fibers. Not many insects can digest wool; clothes moths can.

Photo credits: Utah State University.

Damage They Do

Moths may inhabit a home long before their presence is noticed. Thus, they can cause substantial damage before they are discovered.

The wool sweater on the right is an example of damage caused by clothes moths.

Clothes Moth Control

The best plan is to be observant. Always look for moths flying around. Check your clothing for signs of damage. You may notice tiny holes that show a moth has been there.

Be careful to thoroughly clean clothing or other susceptible materials before putting them away in storage. Where possible put some napthalene with them in the form of moth balls or flakes.

Follow this link to see: Moth Balls available on Amazon.com.

Remember cedar chests. In years past it was popular to store wool clothing and blankets in cedar chests. Cloths moths don't like the smell of cedar and tend to avoid it. If you have a cedar chest, use it. Even if you don't have a cedar chest, you can still find some items made of cedar that might help.

Five items available on Amazon.com to help combat clothes moths are shown below.

   

Cedar Drawer/Shelf Liners       Cedar Clothes Hangers

   

   Moth Cake Hangers        Cedar Closet Panels

   Moth Away Sachets

 

To see more about these devices on Amazon.com, click on the device's image above.

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