What Causes Carpet Moths?
A female carpet moth is capable of laying approximately 200 eggs during her adult life – so a moth infestation carpet problem can quickly occur. The signs include the edges of carpets receding. And grains of white rice look-alikes which are moth casings. You may even spot adult moths.
Carpet moths can be found in their favourite locations – under sofas, along skirting boards, behind heavy curtains, and under hefty furniture. All quiet and dark areas.
Carpet moth damage is mainly caused by the larvae that live for around two years – and eat away at the natural fibres of the carpets – changing colour as they digest the dyes in the carpet pile.
Find out what causes carpet moths here…
Types of Carpet Moth
Carpet moths usually live outdoors – in birds and animal nests – near a pond or lake. They often come into homes attached to articles of clothing or furniture.
Carpet Moth Causes
As insecticide has now been removed from carpet manufacturing stages this is one of the reasons why carpet moths appear more regularly. When the weather is warm and humid this provides an upsurge in breeding activity. And central heating offers a comfortable interior habitat all year round.
Carpet moths have a strong attraction to silk, wool, and fur. As well as keratin proteins found in skin and hair. They also like dirty laundry as this is rich in perspiration and food debris.
- The Green Carpet moth is easily recognisable by the green wing markings – although as the moth ages this colour can fade to yellow or pinkish white. It’s only small with a wingspan of up to 30mm. The larvae are found in June and July – and then September. And attractive foodplants include bedstraws.
- The Common Carpet moth is identified by a narrow central band across the wings divided by a black line. Again, it’s a small-sized species with a wingspan between 26 to 28mm. The caterpillars can be found from June to July. And, September to October. Foodplants include bedstraws and cleavers.
Help to Avoid Carpet Moths
Carpet moths prevention can be carried out in several ways. Make sure you clean throughout your home thoroughly on a regular basis. And move the furniture to reach underneath and behind.
Vacuum carpets up to the skirting boards. Use crevasse tools to get into the upholstery creases – moths love dark and undisturbed areas. Change the vacuum bags frequently. A consideration is to replace your carpets with hard flooring.
Carpet cleaning is also a preventative measure. Try and have your carpets deep cleaned at least twice a year – professional carpet cleaners will use powerful hot water extraction machines to ensure a high-quality clean that’s safe for your family, pets, and the environment.
As carpet moths are attracted to smells it’s important to wash dirty laundry and not leave it lying around. And in the kitchen wrap food remnants and refrigerate for moth control here.
How to Eradicate Carpet Moths
Once you believe you’ve got carpet moth damage, you’ll need to monitor the situation. You can purchase pheromone traps that attract the moths who get caught on the sticky strips. This gives visual evidence of the moth presence – and also breaks the breeding cycle.
The next step is to eliminate the eggs or larvae. There’s an entire range of fast-acting moth killing products on the market that can stop the problem immediately. Kits will treat small or large infestations.
Moth control treatments offer targeted solutions that include PH neutral insecticide sprays, pesticide-free heat pod treatments, and treatments for delicate and heat-sensitive items.
Pest control experts will quickly identify the extent of the infestation and the species of moth. You’ll get a recommendation for the best treatment for your property. And any treatments provided will get rid of the moths quickly.