Adult case bearing carpet moth.
Case bearing carpet moth life cycle.
Its scientific name is derived from tinea a generic term for micromoths and the latin term for a furrier pellionellus.
The adult moth is a pale silvery grey brown with dark spots and approximately 7mm long.
Carpet moths are typically found in warmer climates during the summer.
The carpet moth has a very similar life cycle to a clothes moth.
Tinea pellionella the case bearing clothes moth is a species of tineoid moth in the family tineidae the fungus moths it is the type species of the genus tinea which in turn is the type genus of the subfamily family as well as the superfamily tineoidea.
This is one of the few moth species that can damage clothing and carpets but you can deter them from households.
The case bearing clothes moth builds itself a portable case out of debris such as fibres and hairs in which they can hide.
The adults do not live long and the mated adult female lays hundreds of eggs in her short life time.
The larva makes a portable case for itself out of wool and other fibres.
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.
In outside buildings it has one generation however in heated buildings it can have two or more generations.