What Do Carpet Moth Eggs Look Like

Household dirt that collects in carpet provides a keratin rich food course for clothes moth larvae.

What do carpet moth eggs look like.

Moths are a polyphyletic group of insects. They are also called tapestry moths. The carpet moth is a common household textile pest. It wouldn t have been a concern for us if some of these species weren t called carpet moths.

Identifying clothes carpet moths webbing clothes moth case bearing clothes moth. That s such a massive number. However the adults lay about 40 50 pinhead sized eggs on vulnerable substrates which in turn hatch into the fabric eating larvae. There are said to be 160 000 species of moths.

Casemaking clothes moths are similar in appearance but have dark specks on the wings. Carpet behind or beneath furniture can go untouched for months or even years allowing infestations to grow. This will remove any eggs which may be in or on your carpet as well as clean up any hair skin or food debris which the larvae need to survive. The carpet tapestry moth does not only feed on carpet but will also eat clothing fur animal skin and any textiles or upholstery made of natural fibres.

Carpet moth larvae feed predominately on keratin found in natural fibres such as wool and so can live on any carpet with some wool content. Clothes moth adults do not feed so they cause no injury to fabrics. Carpet moth larvae only eat keratin the protein in natural animal based fibres they will not eat cotton and synthetic fabrics unless they are heavily soiled in food or sweat. Alamy rather confusingly most of these moth species will sometimes switch from carpets to clothes and chew any natural fabrics like cotton wool and silk.

A carpet moth infestation can be a costly problem as it can cause serious and often irreperable damage to carpets rugs and other soft furnishings in the home. Carpet fibres are the perfect place for clothes moths to lodge their eggs and for larvae to hide. Carpet tapestry moths tend to lay their eggs in the darkest patches of your carpet such as under furniture behind curtains or by skirting boards. The most common clothes moths are the webbing clothes moth easily identified with a golden colour and around half an inch in length and the case bearing moth which can be identified about inch long and their forewings are mottled brown with one large and a few.

Carpet moth a k a trichophaga tapetzella is from a family of moths called tineidae. Adult case bearing carpet moth.