About clothes moths, Tineola bisselliella
Adult clothes moths are around 6-8mm long and are straw-coloured. The female clothes moth lays her eggs on material that the larvae will later feed on.
It is the clothes moth larvae that cause problems, feeding on a range of material of animal origin such as furs, woollens and silk. Damage to materials can be severe and infestations can be hard to spot as the larvae shun the light.
About Case-bearing clothes moths, Tineola pellionella
The adult moth is around 3.5 to 4mm long. The moths are pale brown with three dark spots on the wings. Generally they look very similar to the Clothes moth.
The larvae are easy to identify as they carry a silken tube. The larvae makes a silk tube and often attaches material from its surroundings such as wool fibres etc. The case is open at both ends and the larvae are rarely outside of it.
Again, the larvae can cause serious damage to materials of animal origin, including silk. The larvae often attack areas of carpet that are left undisturbed such as those under furniture.
What will the client need to do BEFORE we visit?
There are some preparations that the customer will have to carry out prior to our visits. This includes checking all carpets, clothing and other fabrics for damage as well as steam-cleaning and vacuuming carpets. For more detailed information, please contact Microbee and we can arrange for an information sheet to be sent.
What will happen DURING the visit?
- Visits are usually booked 2-3 days in advance, to allow our technician to collect all the equipment he needs for a thorough treatment. Each visit will take around 2 hours.
- The technician will undertake a thorough inspection of your property. He will then ask you to leave before he/she applies the insecticide. You must not re-enter until at least two hours after he/she has finished.
- The treatment will consist of two parts: firstly, the technician will spray any cracks and crevices that the moths may be hiding in, such as the edges of carpets and the insides of cupboards, with a chemical containing an insecticide and an insect growth regulator to control the larvae. He will then fog the air volume of all infested rooms with another chemical to control the flying adults using a machine.
- If there are any areas that you do not want sprayed or fogged because they contain items that are valuable or delicate, or that either you or your pets come into prolonged contact with, please let the technician know before he starts. The technician will not spray bedding, and all bed linen should have been bagged up before the visit if it is not to be covered during the fogging. Any heritage items of particular value or items made of wool, silk or fur should be sent for specialist cleaning.
