Two different insects make very similar holes in wool. Working out which one you have in your Worksop home decides where you look and what you treat.
Clothes moths and carpet beetles both feed as larvae on natural fibres, so both can leave you with ragged holes in jumpers, rugs and upholstery. The adults look nothing alike. Clothes moths are small, pale and flutter in a weak, hesitant way. Adult carpet beetles are tiny, round and speckled, and are often found on windowsills, because they fly towards light to get outdoors and feed on pollen. Telling them apart early saves a lot of wasted effort.
Worksop is a market town in Bassetlaw district with Worksop Priory, older town-centre property and later housing. In older houses with floorboards, deep skirting and long-unopened cupboards, there are many hidden spots where lint, hair and dead insects gather. Newer houses with fitted carpet give larvae wide, undisturbed areas. Either can suit both pests, so the clue is the evidence, not the age of the building.
Moth larvae are pale, smooth, cream-coloured caterpillars with a darker head. They spin silk tubes or webbing and leave small gritty droppings. Carpet beetle larvae are different: they are short, brown and covered in bristles, and they shed those hairy skins as they grow. Finding cast skins in a drawer or along a skirting board points to carpet beetles. Silky webbing and tiny cases suggest moths.
The two pests behave differently, so treatment has to be directed at the right places. Carpet beetle larvae roam widely and will eat a wider range of material, including dead insects, animal hair, feathers and stored food residues, so their sources can be in lofts, under floorboards, in old bird nests or in hidden spots in a wall cavity. Moths tend to stay near the item they are feeding on, often in dark and still places such as the back of a wardrobe.
Start by vacuuming thoroughly along skirting boards, under furniture and inside wardrobes. Wash what can be washed. Seal infested items in a bag and freeze or send them for dry cleaning. Clear dead insects from windowsills and light shades, and check for old nests in the loft or eaves.
If damage keeps appearing after you have cleaned, call 0115 937 5117 and we will identify the problem and advise on treatment. A free pest prevention survey and free advice come with all treatments.
Yes, and it is more common than people expect. Both feed on natural fibres. Identify what you can find, treat accordingly and check places that supply dead insects or hair for beetle larvae.
They do not bite. Contact with the bristly larval hairs can irritate skin and cause a rash that is sometimes mistaken for bites, so a rash does not by itself prove another pest is present.
Tell us what you have seen and where, and we will come back to you. Prices are fixed and there is no call-out charge.
