We all love our carpets. They offer a soft space to walk on, play on, and spend time with the family. Rugs and carpets are well-used and much-loved pieces of home décor. So, what happens when it becomes infested with carpet moths?
These nasty little bugs lay eggs in your carpet, where their larvae chew up and destroy your carpets. This can be devastating. But what can you do to stop them, where do they come from, and why do they love your carpets?
Carpet moth infest very quickly, the love natural fibres. In these images, the larvae were found under a bed fame. You can see how they have no issue getting under the frame (where the carpet is compressed). Additionally, also love nesting in the natural wood of the bed frame - see the cocoons nesting and new larvae making their way into the holes in the bed frame.
How we can treat carpet moth control
We take a 2-step approach to treating carpet moth. We spray the carpet once, then 10 days later, after the breeding cycle, we go back and thoroughly vacuum all the carpet and respray. We also spray in people’s wardrobes and behind their clothes. We also encourage people to shake out their clothes (especially woollen jumpers and wool clothing) 2-3 days after we have treated the carpet moth, to dislodge any moths that might be remaining on their clothing.
What are carpet moths?
Much like their clothing moth siblings, carpet moths are extremely common and are found worldwide. They are also known as Tapestry moths due to their love of eating the fibres in tapestries. These moths can be commonly found outdoors in birds’ nests. There they feed on the keratin in birds’ feathers or in discarded animal fur or skin. These moths are most active during the warmer months, lying dormant during the winter.
What do they look like?
Adult carpet moths are surprisingly small, considering the damage they do. These little moths tend to only be 5mm long, with a wingspan of only 15mm. They are grey or buff coloured. Carpet moths barely fly, tending to hop around, making them harder to spot.
Carpet moths lay around 200-300 eggs at a time. These eggs are small white spots that are often very hard to see. Once laid as an egg, the full lifecycle of a carpet moth is approximately a year. Where problems arise is in the sheer number of eggs that a carpet moth can lay.
In the next stage, the 200-300 carpet moth eggs become larvae. Here is where they deal the most damage. The larvae are tiny hungry grubs wrapped in a silken case which they drag around with them. Eventually, when they have eaten enough, they will seal their woven case, making a cocoon that looks like a grain of rice. This is one of the most visible phases of carpet moths.
Where do they come from?
As carpet moths tend to live outside, and seem very happy feeding off bird feathers, it takes an irresistible offer to get them inside. However, carpet moths usually get inside your house during the egg stage of their life. These eggs are easily picked up in shoes, clothing, or your pets’ toes. If you, your family, or your pets then walk over your carpets, the eggs will latch on and stay in your home.
Soon after, those eggs will hatch, and carpet moth larvae will begin gorging on your rug like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet. If left unnoticed, these larvae will become adult carpet moths, will lay eggs in your carpet, and will repeat the cycle.
What problems do they cause?
While they are harmless to humans and pets, these pests cause unrelenting destruction to your carpets, rugs, curtains, and more. These pests are drawn to natural fibres such as wool and fur. They will chew through these materials to get the sugars and keratin out of the threads.
Once they hatch, the larvae will seek out these materials in low-traffic areas of your home. You will notice their effect on the corners of your carpets. In extreme cases, the corners will begin fraying or thinning. Keep an eye out for thinning, as this is a tell-tale sign of a carpet moth infestation.
How to assess the severity of your problem
Unlike other moths, carpet moths prefer dark, quiet, and undisturbed spaces. Spaces like under sofas, close to baseboards, and in corners of your living room are loved by carpet moths. This makes it hard to truly gauge the extent of the problem.
To understand the level of infestation you are facing you should use carpet moth traps. These traps use the female moth pheromone to attract and catch the male carpet moths. While this will affect the breeding cycle, it won’t eliminate the moths on their own. Instead, it gives you a sense of the scale of the problem.
If there are a large number of male moths being caught, you can bet there are a lot of females around laying eggs.
How to get rid of them from your home
There are three levels to getting rid of carpet moths. You can see our complete breakdown in this article here. The first level is prevention. Regularly vacuum your home, including under furniture and the dark corners of your rooms. The goal of this vacuuming is to remove eggs that get dropped in your home before they become larvae. This will also remove a lot of skin, hair, and fur from your rug to derive the larvae of food.
The next level is utilising traps to reduce ongoing breeding. Taking as many males out of the breeding cycle as possible can provide temporary relief to reduce the severity of the infestation while you wait for a permanent solution.
Finally, you should get a pest control expert to assist you in eliminating the problem. A pest control technician will use the latest in safe solutions to halt the breeding cycle enough to remove the infestation. The pest control technician will then follow up to ensure the treatment has been effective.
What to do after Carpet Moths have been eliminated?
After the infestation has been eliminated, it is vital that you keep on monitoring your carpets for a resurging infestation. Continue to vacuum the area to reduce potential food for the moths, and keep an eye out for any larvae. For extra precaution, you can keep the moth traps active and see whether you can catch any more moths.
If you do notice any resurgence in the moth population, get in touch with your pest control expert and they will be able to help keep it under control. Unfortunately, carpet moths can be challenging to flush out, but experienced pest control technicians will know what to do.
How to restore the carpets
Once you have eliminated the carpet moth infestation you may wish to restore your carpets. Depending on the level of damage, most carpets can be restored without replacing them. We go into greater detail on this topic in this blog here.
The best method to restoring your carpets is a professional carpet clean. This method is the easiest and will get the best results. A professional will also be able to restore upholstery that has been attacked by the moths.
However, if you prefer DIY methods you can use baking soda and vinegar to raise the pile of the carpet, and restore its texture. All you need to do is sprinkle baking soda across your carpet, work it into the carpet with a stiff brush, and leave it overnight. The next day you should spray vinegar over the carpets. If you can hear a fizzing sound then you know it is working. Brush the carpet, then leave it to dry. Finish up by giving your carpet a good vacuum.
Conclusion
Carpet moths can be extremely destructive pests if left to roam. Pay attention to the darker corners of your carpets, or under furniture. If you notice any thinning, or larvae then you need to take action. Hopefully this guide will help you get started.
If you need any assistance with carpet moths feel free to call Pest Gone Pest Control.