A Quick Guide to Identify, Treat and Prevent Clothes Moths

Clothes moths can become a serious pest in the home because their larvae feed on materials such as wool, silk, hair, bristles, feathers and fur. Adult clothing moths do not eat or cause any damage to clothing or fabric. It is solely the larvae which are responsible for this. You can help prevent clothing moths in your home or business by: 1) educating yourself on where to look for them, 2) how to recognize them, and 3) what actions to take to protect your belongings from them. If an infestation has already occurred and considerable damage has occurred, contact us to have a pest control inspector properly evaluate and treat the clothing moth infestation.

Clothing Moth Identification

After this short video you will easily be able to identify a clothing moth: The most common variety of clothing moths present in North America are:
    1. Webbing Clothing Moth (Tineola bisselliella): This is by far the most common of the three moths listed. The webbing clothes moth is generally light yellow in color and has a shiny luster. The hind wings are grey-yellow and both fore and hind wings are fringed with fine hairs. The wings are quite thin and the wing span is between 12-16 mm. The adult moths have a reddish-gold tuft of hair on the top of their heads. The larvae are a dirty yellow with a yellow-brown head and can reach a length of 7-9 mm.
    1. Casemaking Clothes Moth (Tinea pellionella): The casemaking clothes moth is a slightly darker brown moth than the clothing moth with the forewings harboring three dark spots, while those of the webbing clothes moth are uniformly golden. The fringe of hairs at the edge of the wing is quite pronounced on close inspection. Casemaking moths are less common than the Webbing Clothing Moth. Caterpillars of this moth feed from within a somewhat flattened silken case which is dragged over the food source.
    1. Tapestry or Carpet Moth (Trichophaga tapetiella): Tapestry moths are similar to clothes moths in appearance and that they spin webbing in areas where they like to reside. Just as in Clothes moths and carpet moths their speed of development depends entirely upon local temperature, humidity and food supplies.

Clothing Moth Treatment

If the infestation is minor some steps you can take before calling a professional include the following:
  • Clothing moth traps: This step can help to prevent males from mating with females.
  • Vaccumming: Since moths like to hide in carpeting and baseboards, this is a very important step towards full eradication.
  • Dry Cleaning: This step kills moths on existing clothing and helps remove moisture from clothes.
  • Exposure to Heat: Extreme high temperatures (120 degrees Fahrenheit or 50 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes plus). These conditions may possibly be achieved by placing infested materials in an attic, or by washing clothes at or above this temperature.
If these steps are not successful in controlling clothing moths then call your professional pest control technician. The typical treatment for clothes moths is to apply a permethrin or pyrethyroid based product using aerosol and/or spray methods. In conjunction with this application an insect growth regulator may be used to retard long-term moth cycle. NOTE: Clothing moths eat more than just clothes; they will attack other areas of the home such as rugs which may also need to be treated. For this, a fogging application may be beneficial for a broader coverage of the home.

Clothing Moth Prevention

Once the cloths moths have been successfully treated, a good way to prevent them from reoccurring is to add lavender to your wardrobe. For this purpose, lavender bags with dried lavender flowers are put into the wardrobe. Their scent can be refreshed by putting a few drops of lavender oil on them, or a few drops of lavender oil are put on fabric which is then put in the wardrobe. Treat once a month for the first three months and then once a quarter for the next year to ensure the infestation is under control. You can also go out and purchase commercial mothballs to add to your wardrobe as well. These products however may contain chemicals based on naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene which work by decaying into a gaseous state. The pitfall of mothballs is that they need to be placed in very high concentration to be effective. Hearts Pest Management encourages you to try the natural lavender method of prevention before resorting to moth balls. For a free moth inspection, call or email us today!
Call Now 1-800-986-1006 or complete the form below

*
Where Captcha Goes if Used code in footer
Find Out More
For More information about our Chemical List
Locations
City Services for Pest Control in Los Angeles
Agoura Hills Northridge
Alhambra Pacific Palisades
Arcadia Palos Verdes Estates
Beverly Hills Pasadena
Burbank Pomona
Calabasas Rancho Palos Verdes
Cerritos Redondo Beach
City of Industry Reseda
City of Los Angeles Rolling Hills Estates
Claremont San Marino
Culver City Santa Fe Springs
Cypress Santa Monica
Diamond Bar Sherman Oaks
El Monte Sylmar
El Segundo Tarzana
Encino Temple City
Glendale Toluca Lake
Granada Hills Torrance
Hacienda Heights Venice
Hidden Hills Walnut
Hollywood West Covina
La Verne West Hollywood
Long Beach West Los Angeles
Malibu Westlake Village
Manhattan Beach Whittier
Marina Del Rey Woodland Hills
North Hollywood
City Services for Pest Control in Orange County
Aliso Viejo Laguna Hills
Anaheim Laguna Niguel
Brea Lake Forest
Buena Park Los Alamitos
Capistrano Beach Mission Viejo
City of Orange Newport Beach
Corona Del Mar Orange
Costa Mesa Rancho Santa Margarita
Dana Point Rossmoor
Fountain Valley San Clemente
Fullerton San Juan Capistrano
Garden Grove Santa Ana
Huntington Beach Tustin
Irvine Villa Park
La Habra Westminster
Laguna Beach Yorba Linda
City Services for Pest Control in San Diego
4S Ranch Rancho Penasquitos
Poway Scripps Ranch
Rancho Bernardo
Descanso Ramona
Julian Santa Ysabel
Pine Valley
Bonsall Hidden Meadows
Escondido Pauma Valley
Fallbrook Valley Center
Carlsbad Pacific Beach
Coronado Point Loma
La Costa San Ysidro
Mira Mesa The City of San Diego
Otay Mesa
Cardiff by the Sea Oceanside
Carmel Valley Rancho Santa Fe
Del Mar San Marcos
Encinitas Solana Beach
La Jolla Vista
Alpine Imperial Beach
Bonita Jamul
Chula Vista La Mesa
East Lake Chula Vista Lakeside
El Cajon Santee

HP Banner

Awards

Review

Review our amazing pest
service options

You can add other problem pests to your “general pest
control” service.

Why Choose Hearts Pest Management:
Health Conscious First do no harm! Custom Built Plans Flexible Scheduling Technicians Communicative & Trustworthy Budget Sensitivity
We customize the service to your needs & pest situation.

Testimonials

What Our Customers Say
“Able, honest and extremely knowledgeable and polite. They come bi-monthly and use an organic solution to spray outside. It’s a pleasure and relief to do business with them.”
~ Carri B.
View more
“The technician Austin was on time. Very personable and explained products in detail and is very knowledgeable. Very thorough and the organic and eco friendly products were our first choice. We signed for the every other month especially for spiders and ants.”
~ Mark
View more

Pest Behavior & Solutions

Pest Behavior & Solutions

We Know About Pests, You Can Too. Visit our Pest Library for information
on the habits and habitats of some of the most common pests.

See Full List of Pest
  • General pest control and certified green pest control options:

Carpenters ants, bedbugs - separate esimate

Choose the service schedule you need:

Weekly, Monthly, Bi-Monthly, Quarterly, Reduced winter service.

See More General Pest Services

Free Inspections

Free Inspections
for Prevention & Extermination

We provide free inspections for
various complex pest control
situations. Our pest control services
are tailored to each community and
their unique micro-climates that
impact your pest control plan.

We are the first pest control company in Southern California to achieve the California EPA Integrated Pest Management Award.

  • In-door trapping
  • Out-door baiting or trapping
  • Full exclusion to keep them out!
  • Decontamination (see mites and parasites)
  • Clean-up
  • Maintenance monthly
View Our Plan for Rats and Mice
  • Indoor / outdoor eradication
  • Bee removal – hive and honeycomb
View Our Plan for Bees and Wasps
  • Monitoring
  • Commercial reporting
  • Clean-outs and maintenance
View Our Plan for Roaches
  • Comprehensive inspection
  • Written bedbug plan for owner – pest company
View Our Plan for Bed Bugs
  • Remediation / maintenance
  • Ground fumigation
  • Baiting
View Our Plan for Gophers and Squirrels
  • Single story eaves only (we do not service roofs or second story homes).
  • Full exclusion for nesting and perching
  • Decontamination (see mites and parasites)
  • Bird birth control
  • Pigeons
  • Starlings
  • Sparrows
  • Swallows
View Our Plan for Birds
  • Attic vacuuming
  • Power washing
  • Insulation removal – replacement
  • Full space area chemical fogging
  • Off-site disposal
View Our Plan for Mites and Parasites
Pest Control Product Labels & MSDS We welcome you to view pest control labels and MSDS information.