Pest Briefs: Fabric Pests 101
By: Robert (Bob) Batman

NATURAL ENTOMOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION

Phylum Arthropoda
Class Various
Order Various
Family Various
Genus/species Various

Morphosis: Refer to the Pest Brief Beetles as it includes fabric pest beetles (Class Hexapoda or Insecta and Order Coleoptera) which undergo complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa, and adult). Booklice or psocids (Class Hexapoda or Insecta and Order Psocoptera) undergo gradual metamorphosis (egg, nymph, and adult). Clothing moths (Class Hexapoda or Insecta, Order Lepidoptera, Family Tineidae, Genus/species: Tineolo bisselliella [Hummel] for the webbing moth and Trichophaga tapetzella [Linn.] for the casing moth) which undergo complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa, and adult). Although silverfish (without metamorphosis) and crickets (gradual metamorphosis) do not obtain any nutritional value from eating fabric, some people consider them fabric pests: refer to the Pest Briefs on Silverfish and/or Crickets.

BOOKLICE (chewing mouthparts): These little insects undergo gradual metamorphosis (egg, nymph, and adult) and the fully grown adult appears, to the eye, to look something like a worker caste termite, only much smaller! There are over 280 species presently known. Most species have males and females, both, but some are parthenogenetic (without males). These little insects are know as fabric pests simply because of their association with moldy environments and moldy paper products including books (old books stored in humid or damp environments). They are also considered as a stored product (grain) pests and are pests in food processing facilities for the same reasons. However, their dead bodies floating through the air as, or on, dust particles, could either cause or aggravate allergies or asthmatic problems, and this can become a problem in any building! My advise would be to keep the humidity below 50 percent, otherwise you may experience so-called booklice problems.

CLOTHING MOTHS (casemaking moths and webbing moths): The webbing moth is of more overall economic importance than the casemaking moth, but that doesn't matter if you have a casemaking moth infestation. These little moths are well know world wide. The adults do not feed and are not attracted to light: they shun light.

Casemaking moth: larva up to 3/8 inch long and adult from 3/8 to 1/2 inch wingspan and very light grayish-tan in color with three brownish spots on front wings and appears to have a darker brownish wide set eyes. The adults (moth stage) live up to 5-8 days.

The larva causes the damage: the adult does not feed. Larval stage can last up to over 100 days. Casemaking moth larva attack materials made from animal and plant sources. They feed on the material, usually, making furrows as opposed to holes) then crawl off the material to seek an out-of-the way crack or crevice to pupate. Discarded larva casings not usually found on clothing, but usually in some crack or crevice near where the fabric or material was damaged. Some of the products this pest can also be found infesting include, but, is not limited to, clothing and other fabric goods, various pantry products, feather/down products, hemp, hair/fur, taxidermy products, piano and other felts, tobacco, almonds, herbs and seasonings.

Webbing moth: named because the larva spins a web over the feeding area. The larva is white and approximately 1/2 inch long with a brown head. The adult has approximately 1/2 inch wingspan and is a light-tan-buff color with a small patch (tuft) of brownish-red color hairs (setae) on the head. The female adult(moth stage) usually dies after laying eggs and the male may live up to a month.

The larva causes the damage: the adults do not feed. The larval stage can last up to 4 years, thus the reason it is of more economic importance: it can eat longer! This pest does not usually attack materials made from vegetable sources. They feed on the keratin (protein) in natural animal source fabrics. The larva and/or discarded larva casings will be found on/in their food source material.

PROFESSIONAL PEST CONTROL SERVICE IS RECOMMENDED: Proper identification and knowledge of this pest's biology and habitat are the first steps in choosing control methods for these pests. These pests look like numerous other pests, to the untrained eye.

If you live in the Greater Kansas City (Missouri and Kansas) Metropolitan Area, call Best at (816) 765-8844 or (913) 671-8844.