Ruud Kleinpaste: Clothes moths

It’s been a weird year, so far… water and wind in the north; dry hot droughts in the south.

Not sure if that has anything to do with a tiny moth reported to me on many occasions:

5 – 7 mm long; golden wings, held over the body like a roof. And a bright orange hairdo, reminiscent of Split Enz or Cirque de Soleil

The webbing clothes moth is extremely common in Christchurch – many folk up on the hill have asked me about this critter; and when I tell them the identity some panic seems to break out.

I expect there will be other populations elsewhere in New Zealand, but they largely go unnoticed!

This “webbing” cloths moth is really a recycler of woollen materials: yes, clothes, but especially carpets! It seems to like open spaces with keratin – lots of keratin

It’s quite logical, really.

When a sheep dies, or you run over a cat on the road, a bird whacks against the window and knocks itself out, the recycling squad will be on the scene of the accident very quickly indeed.

Blowfly maggots eat the meat, beetles take care of harder or tougher parts of the cadaver (muscles, sinew, bones), skin decays and softens through fungal and bacterial organisms…

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

But who is tasked with the destruction, digestion and recycling of the keratin (feathers, fur, wool, hair, nails and even hard skin)?

You got it: caterpillars of the clothes moths (and the grubs of carpet beetles)!

It’s their job (ecosystem service)

What you see at home is damaged woollen carpet with bare patches, holes in woollen clothing; the damage becomes quite obvious after a few years of caterpillar browsing and life cycle after life cycle will establish a good population in your home.

Control can be achieved with some residual insecticides – active ingredients such as permethrin and other synthetic pyrethroids will do the job well; (try Safeworx aerosol cans)

It works well and is residual for 6 to 8 weeks, as long as the substrate treated is not exposed to direct sunlight;

Now’s a good time to check your place out and give them a run for their life!

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