If you’ve noticed holes in your favourite fabrics or damage to your living room carpet, this could be a sign that you’ve got a fabric pest on your hands. Although harmless to humans, clothes moths and carpet beetles can become a real nuisance if they get their claws on your favourite items of clothing. If you’re struggling to keep your home free from troublesome fabric pests this summer, it could be time to call in Perth’s pest control experts before the issue gets out of hand.
Clothes Moths
Whilst adult clothes moths don’t feed on fabric or clothing, it’s their larvae (moths in their pre-metamorphosis stage) that you need to look out for. These cream-coloured grubs will chomp holes through fabrics such as silk, cotton, wool and paper, causing significant damage to clothing and household carpets. Unlike some moths, clothes moths aren’t attracted to light, meaning you will probably find the critters crawling around in dark, undercover areas such as closets, drawers and attics.
Carpet beetles
These small, oval-shaped creepy crawlies prefer to nest outdoors in woodland areas and birds nests.Unfortunately for us, however, adult carpet beetles often venture inside to lay their eggs. Once again, its the carpet beetle larvae that cause household problems; these fluffy and stripy grubs are red-brown in colour and can often be found snacking on animal fibres such as wool in clothing and carpets.
Signs of infestation
If you’ve spotted holes in your clothes or bare patches on your carpet, this could be a good indication that a family of clothes moths or carpet beetles have stopped by for a snack. Leftover larval cases or webbing, created by the larvae as they feed, will also provide a pretty sure sign that a fabric pest isn’t far away. Similarly, if you’ve noticed dead or live insects scurrying around near windowsills and under furniture, this could hint at a possible infestation.
Preventing clothes moths and carpet beetles
When it comes to moths and carpet beetles, there are a few things you can do to deter the insects from moving into your Perth home or business before they become a problem. Regularly cleaning common infestation areas such as closets, rugs and carpets will help keep potential feeding sites free from fabric pests. It’s also a good idea to seal any clothing that you plan to store in your closet or attic over the seasons. Finally, installing insect screens will help prevent hungry critters from sneaking into your Perth home without invitation.
Time to call the experts
If you’ve already spotted fabric pests or larvae in your house or workplace, it’s probably time to call Perth’s pest control experts before the critters cause further damage. At Perth-based Bug Busters, our trained technicians offer effective and reliable solutions to all your pest and rodent problems across Perth. If you’ve noticed a fabric pest infestation in your Perth home or business, call Bug Busters today on 08 9493 1313.