Casemaking Clothes Moth (Tinea pellionella)

Trap Placement & Use

Trap Placement Techniques

Pheromone traps can be placed year-round but are especially recommended when temperatures exceed 12.5°C (55°F). Hanging traps are more effective at capturing Casemaking clothes moths compared to flat traps.

Place hanging casemaking clothes moth pheromone traps 1.5 m (5 feet) above ground or at eye level to allow for easy inspection when monitoring traps. In areas such as a closet or home, place one or two pheromone traps per room.

In commercial areas such as warehouses or museums, place pheromone traps 7.5–15 m (25–50 feet) apart to determine the presence or absence of Casemaking clothes moths. Increase pheromone trap density to 4.5–7.5 m (15–25 feet) apart to help locate source of Casemaking clothes moths.

Keep pheromone traps 7.5 m (25 feet) away from exterior doors. Casemaking clothes moth pheromone traps are best utilized in areas that store items that contain natural fibers such as wool, hair, feathers, furs, and upholstered furniture (containing natural wools and leathers).

Trap and Lure Maintenance

Replace traps when glue is filled with insects or becomes dusty. Replace pheromone lures every 90 days. Replace all pheromone lures in a location at the same time. Do not cut the cap off the bullet lure. Do not stagger lure replacement over several weeks. Record date and number of catches to identify trending information.

Casemaking Clothes Moth FAQs

What do Casemaking Clothes Moths look like?

The casemaking clothes moth, Tinea pellionella, also called the casebearing clothes moth, case bearing clothes moth or, case making clothes moth adults are up to 8 mm (0.3 inches) long with shiny grey to brown 1-3 small spots on wings.

Has a small tuft of brown hairs on top of head. Casemaking clothes moth eggs are typically too small to see with the naked eye, but are oval in shape, ivory in color and 1 mm (0.04 inches) long. Casemaking clothes moth larvae are creamy white in color with a black head capsule, 13 mm (0.5 inches) long, found within a silken case that it always carries with it.

Pupae: Pupal cases are whitish; often patterned with colored fibers; much of the time, these pupal cases are found hanging downward form a horizontal surface above its food source, such as the ceiling of a closet or the bottom of a shelf directly above infestation; up to 13 mm (0.5 inches) long.

What is the life cycle of Casemaking Clothes Moths?

Adult moths live for 15-30 days. Mated females can lay 40-50 eggs singly or in groups. Eggs hatch in 4-10 days in warmer months and up to 30 days in cooler months. Larvae feed and become mature in 35 days or and up to 30 months depending on food quality, temperature and humidity. Pupation will occur in proximity to and within infested materials. Adults will emerge from the pupae in 8 to 40 days depending on temperature.

How to get rid of Casemaking Clothes Moths?

The first step in how to get rid of casemaking clothes moths is determining where the clothes moth infestation is originating from. This is best done by using clothes moth pheromone traps. Pheromone traps placed closest to clothing moth infestations will capture more moths.

By checking and comparing traps, one can determine if the source is coming from a certain area, room or closet. The ability to narrow down the source of the infestation allows the user to visually identify individual objects, clothing or rugs that are a breeding food source for clothes moths. Once these items are located, an extermination method can be determined that will answer the question: How to kill clothes moths?

The answer to this question is typically achieved through bagging and freezing smaller objects for several days. Some items can be run through the hottest cycle in a clothes dryer for a full 60 minutes.

Larger items, such as wool rugs can be taken outdoors and beaten to dislodge any moth adults, larvae and eggs. Steam cleaning or chemical treatments can also kill moths on carpets or on furniture that contains natural animal fibers.