Carpet Moth Larvae Cocoon

Carpet moths can cause expensive and upsetting damage once they find their way into your house.

Carpet moth larvae cocoon.

Eggs hatch into larvae and larvae pupate into carpet moths. Alamy i f you have never heard of the case bearing carpet moth tinea pellionella you are lucky they have probably not invaded your home. The adult carpet moths can easily fly in through windows doors or cracks. Each larva spins a cocoon when it pupates so the presence of silk like casings also indicate carpet moths.

Eventually making a cocoon and hatching into moths to repeat the cycle. Infested material is often littered with empty silk bags or cases figure 6 which resemble grains of rice. 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. The larvae do the real damage.

The eggs are only 1mm long but once hatched into larvae search for food immediately and along with wool can consume cotton linen and silk. Clothing moths these are the ones that eat wool come in two varieties case making moths which are most common in the southern us and the webbing moth which has a much wider range. Depending on temperatures and humidity conditions carpet moth larvae can live for up to nearly 3 years eating your home textiles that s for colder climates. Their larvae which are caterpillars are voracious eaters.

Caterpillars spin silk and this silk is used to form the cocoon for the pupal stage of development the final stage before adulthood. In warmer areas they can go from egg to pupation into adults in little over a month. The larvae then leave a mark everywhere they go. They eat a lot.

Tinea pellionella are carpet moth lavea in a cocoon case they look like tiny bullet shaped cotton bud tips with open ends and the creature sticks its head out and can move the cocoon usually up walls and are often found in the bases of divan beds. The larva moults within the case and when fully grown it pupates within the cocoon and eventually the adult moth emerges to mate and lay eggs. 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. Synthetics aren t so much at risk.

Case bearing carpet moth larvae on fabric.