Professional clothes moth control in Reading and throughout Berkshire
There are two species of moth that eat textiles that we consider a pest: the webbing or common clothes moth and the case-bearing clothes moth. The moths don’t actually eat your clothing or carpets it’s their larvae that do the damage and for food manufacturers there are several more that pose a problem.
House moths, flour moths and Indian meal moths all pose as pests in the food industry.
Whatever moth problem that you may have – we have the solution to it.
Carpets moth and house moth pest control from a local company
Moth infestations in Reading, Woodley and Wokingham are on the rise, this is in part due to increasingly milder winters which don’t naturally form a barrier to the survival of many adult moths, and a move back to the use of wool and woollen blend carpets in the home. Along with the usual textiles like clothing that form a food supply for the clothes moth, we now see the use of wool as loft insulation as a eco-friendly and sustainable material.
The lifecycle of the clothes moth and why it’s such a pest
It is the larvae that cause the damage to your woollen jumpers, the female will lay her eggs on clothing and carpets and every female moth will lay between 100 and 400 eggs. These eggs hatch and the larvae burrow down into the material; being just 1mm in length it’s doubtful that at this stage that you’re aware of the issue. In ideal conditions the process from larvae to adult takes around three months, when larvae are eating dry carpet fibres in a centrally heated house this can slow down to many months, almost a year.
When the numbers of larvae are high, the damage they do will be quite nasty and carpets will be ruined beyond repair.
The case-bearing moth will commonly be found in birds’ nests where the larvae eat the discarded feathers and any bird remains, if you have birds nesting in your loft they you’ll probably have clothes moths up there too.
What do clothes moths eat?
Apart from feathers and dead birds, clothes moths fulfil their role in nature as street cleaners; when an animal dies all that will be left uneaten are bits of fur, sinew and hair and this is what the larvae of the moths consume. Your woollen carpets, fur trimmed coats and jumpers are all food for these insects and this is where we can provide pest control service for the carpets and you can look after your clothing through some simple steps.
Place jumpers in a freezer to kill off any moth eggs or larvae, this will not damage the material and air out afterwards for a couple of hours.
Store winter jumpers in vacuum sealed bags after freezing, this keeps the material safe and clean through the summer months when the adult moths are most active.
What do clothes moths look like?
The adult case bearing clothes moth has a wingspan of between 9 and 16mm and comes in a silvery grey colour with a darker spot on the wings, their wings have a hairy fringe at the ends.
The other species of moth; the common clothes moth is very similar and a light beige in colour and very small in size. Both of these moths are poor flyers, they scuttle about rather than fly and prefer tp stay in dark places like cupboards.
Moths as pests in stored food products
Moths are major pests of stored food items like grain and flour, the larvae infest grain spoiling the food, as they feed they leave behind webbing, this binds the grain together and can cause blockages of machinery. The increased heat and moisture from the larvae’s’ activity can also encourage mould growth in the grain spoiling the food further.
It’s not just grain and flour that can be infested by moths but other items like cocoa, nuts and dried fruit can all be targeted by moths and they will be found in commercial premises from production sites, storage and warehousing to retail shops.
Total moth control throughout Reading, Wokingham and Woodley
All moths can be treated easily by professional pest controllers, in the case of clothes moths we carryout surface sprays, placing insecticide onto the carpets where the larvae are at work and we fog the rooms to knock down the adult moths. We also supply lures that act as a sexual pheromone attracting male moths onto a sticky pad. The same applies for moths in food storage situations and the use of fly screens is recommended to prevent moths getting inside.