Moths can cause significant damage to contents and furnishings in domestic and commercial environments.
Luckily out of the 3,000+ micro-moths in the UK only a select few are considered a pest and are normally easily identifiable between them for quick identification. The majority of moths can be distinguished from the markings or colours of their wings as well as other factors, including what they are attacking and the location within a property. For example, an Indian Meal Moth is more likely to be found in a kitchen and a Common Clothes Moth in a wardrobe.
The below moths are split into sections; textile and foodstuff, to help distinguish between them. Some moths such as the Brown House Moth and White-shouldered House Moth can be associated with both textiles and food.
If required, we also have a free identification service to help identify if your moth is considered a pest species.
Common moths species found around textiles
Common Clothes Moth / Webbing Moth
Tineola bisselliella
A common pest found in domestic houses throughout the UK. Common clothes moth feed off natural fibres and can be found in clothing (both cotton and fur), carpets and bird nests.
Tell-tale signs are normally small holes found in clothing.
Treatment will vary depending on the size of the infestation. We recommend customers initially trap using our pheromone pads and then control any active areas using a range of our insecticidal products.
Case-bearing Clothes Moth / Carpet Moth
Tinea pellionella
Also known as carpet moth, case-bearing clothes moths are found in carpets that contain natural fibres as well as a bird nests, hair and occasionally clothing.
These moths are easy to identify from their larvae cases that can be found on top of carpets.
Treatment can be more difficult due to their eco-systems, and often treatments may involve lifting carpets to gain access to their main environment. Pheromone traps may work as they have a close chemical structure to Tineola bisselliella; however, this is not guaranteed. The majority of treatments require insecticidal products, and diatomaceous earth is an excellent long control solution without risk to long-term health.
Pale-backed Clothes Moth
Monopis crocicapitella
A relative new-comer to the pest industry; however, this ‘new’ clothes moth species has for years been caught in pheromone traps as they seem to have a similar chemical structure to the above moths.
Pale-backed clothes moth are not normally associated with clothing and more commonly found around dried foods, animal waste and their nests. They can also be found on decomposing animals.
Treatment is the removal of the source of the infestation and then treatment with an insecticidal liquid or smoke/aerosol void control to remove the remaining activity.
Brown House Moth
Hofmannophila pseudopretella
These moth are commonly found throughout the house and are often mistaken for clothes moth. They can be a significant pest for museums.
Brown house moth are normally found around skirting boards feeding on loose human hair and occasionally they can be associated with damage to clothing or food stuffs.
Pheromone will not work on brown house moth so we recommend that voids are thoroughly cleaned to remove any source that they may be associated with and the use of liquid and void insecticidal treatments to destroy any remaining individuals.
White-shouldered House Moth
Endrosis sarcitrella
White-shouldered house moth are more likely to be associated with foodstuffs than textiles; however, they are often confused with clothes moth as they can be active throughout UK households. White-shouldered house moths have increased rapidly in the last few years, and we are exploring a pheromone option for their control.
These moths are generally found in rodent and bird nests and can be found in a wide range of other locations including around spilt food.
No pheromone is currently available for these moths, so we recommend locating and removing the source of the infestation. Insecticidal products will help in the control of the remaining adult moths.
Common moths species found around food stuff
Indian Meal Moth
Plodia interpunctella
Indian meal moth is one of several species of moth in the UK that are associated with food stuff. Their larvae can do siginificant damage to food stocks.
In residiental environments they are often found in cupboards in out-of-date opened packaging or loose spilt food under cupboard plynths. Indian meal moth can also be found in limited numbers on nesting materials and textiles.
Main treatment requirements are the removal of the source of infestation, cleaning and then a combination of specific pheromone and insecticidial products to control any remaining individuals. Several intermittent void treaments may need to be required.
We recommend placement of pheromone to monitor and catch individuals to prevent future outbreaks, especially within commercial food environments.
Mediterranean Flour Moth
Ephestia kuehniella
Mediterranean flour moth (aka Mill moth) is a moth less commonly encountered within UK domestic premises but is still considered a significant pest and can be found in a wide range of commercial environments including bakeries and mills.
It is known that the pheromone of the above Indian meal moth is of a similar chemical structure and will have limited but successful results. We are unable to guarantee the effectiveness of the pheromone.
Treatments are removal of the source, cleaning and application of insecticidal products to control any remaining activity.