Clothes Moth Larvae Size

Sometimes the larvae is hard to spot since it is the same color and texture of the fabric.

Clothes moth larvae size.

This is one of the few moth species that can damage clothing and carpets but you can deter them from households. Tineola bisselliella known as the common clothes moth webbing clothes moth or simply clothing moth is a species of fungus moth family tineidae subfamily tineinae it is the type species of its genus tineola and was first described by arvid david hummel in 1823. As you can see from the picture they have a creamy color body and a darker brown head. Their bodies are about 3 8 to 1 2 inches long while larvae are up to 1 2 inch long.

The casemaking clothes moth is not as common as the webbing clothes moth. The casemaking clothes moth tinea pellionella and the webbing clothes moth tineola. The case containing a live larva is often attached to the infested material at on end. Casemaking clothes moths have brownish gray wings with three dark spots.

The larvae spin long threads and construct tunnels of silk. Their wings are long and narrow. Adult casemaking clothes moth actual size 1 2 inch as the larvae spins a protective case is made of the same fiber that it is digesting. The adult moth is a pale silvery grey brown with dark spots and approximately 7mm long.

Fully grown larvae of the casemaking clothes moth make cigar shaped open ended silken cases that are about 3 8 inch long often with pieces of infested material incorporated into the case. Larvae are yellowish in color. Differences from indianmeal moths at about 1 4 inch long clothes moths are smaller than indianmeal moths about 1 2 inch long. Case making clothes moth image licensed under cc.

The larva makes a portable case for itself out of wool and other fibres. Herrich schäffer when he established tineola. The larvae are typically a few millimetres long upon hatching but then grow to 1 1 5cm in length dependent on availability of food i e. These spots can be rubbed off on older moths.

Its case is the color of the fabric on which the larva feeds. Only two moth species will damage your clothes. Anything longer than 1 cm is likely not eating your clothing. Your natural woollen and silk clothing or carpets as examples and moisture to help intake of water they cannot drink in a conventional sense and hence require humidity.

The specific name is commonly misspelled biselliella for example by g. Larvae are about 1 3 to 1 2 inch long with pale yellow to white bodies and a brown head. When grown and prior to pupation clothes moth larvae are between and inch long. In outside buildings it has one generation however in heated buildings it can have two or more generations.

You will see the relative size of the grown larva compared to the weave of the knitwear in this picture for an idea of relative scale.