Are You Having A Hard Time With Clothing Moths In Katy?

A person’s wardrobe says a lot, and buying new clothing is not cheap. If you value the condition of your closet and don’t like the thought of local pests chewing on your shorts, shoes, and socks, you should know about clothing moths. These local pests can be a big problem for homeowners and they are a common pest here in Katy. Today we will talk about what these local insects look like, what they eat, the problems they cause, and what methods work best to remove and keep them out of homes. If you need immediate assistance with an active infestation, we have options for you at Modern Pest Control. All you have to do is reach out to our team. We will detail what pest control in Katy looks like and help you schedule an appointment for treatments. To learn more about the clothing moths in Katy, keep reading. We have everything you need to know.

What Are Clothing Moths?

Clothing moths are local insects that are known for their odd diet and invasive behaviors. This pest can live out in the wild and feeds on animal fibers found in wool, fur, silk, feathers, leather, and felt. These materials contain a fibrous protein called keratin. Understand that adult moths do not eat these materials. It is exclusively moth larvae that enjoy these tasty treats. We will talk more in a bit about why these moths are such a huge problem inside local homes.

The clothing moth is a small pest. Adults only grow to be ½” long and are beige or buff-colored. Their wings are narrow and fringed with small hairs. This local pest is often mistaken for its close relative the grain moth which infests pantries and stored dry food. Unlike these other common moths, clothing moths are not drawn to homes by light sources. They like dark areas that lack human foot traffic. This includes closets, basements, and attics. Keeping this in mind, if you see moths fluttering around your kitchen or living areas in broad daylight, they are most likely not clothing moths. 

The larvae of a clothing moth have a creamy-white appearance and brown heads. They grow to be upwards of ½” long and are most commonly found within fabrics and other concealed areas inside homes. The process to develop into an adult moth varies from about a month to a couple of years. This all depends on the availability of food and other living conditions. Two species of clothing moths live in the United States; Tineola bisselliella (webbing clothing moths) and Tinea pellionella (case-making clothing moths.) Webbing clothing moths have a small tuft of reddish hair on the top of their heads. Case-making clothing moths are similar but have the addition of dark specs on their wings. Both of these species lay about 40 to 50 pinhead-sized eggs at a time. These eggs hatch into destructive larvae. One thing that is unique about webbing clothing moths is the way they spring silken tubes or patches of webbing as they move over infested materials. If possible these pests hide in the folds of fabrics to stay concealed.

One thing you should know about clothing moths is that they are not like other invasive insects. Although they are able to crawl or fly in through an open door, a crack, or another exterior entrance point around your home, they don’t have to, to get indoors. How do clothing moths get into homes without crawling or flying in through one of these entry points? They do so by laying their eggs on items like thrift store clothing, furniture, or items at garage sales or consignment shops. They then use these items as modes of transportation to get into local homes. One way to prevent an active infestation involves keeping an eye out for eggs and larvae. We will talk more about other preventative strategies in just a bit.

The Damage Clothing Moths Can Do To Your Materials

There are a few things you should know about the way clothing moths damage clothing. As you already know, it is not adult clothing moths that consume fur, wool, feathers, felt, and leather, it is their larvae. Keeping this in mind, larvae consume clothing that is made of these materials. They will also eat cotton and synthetic fabrics, but only if they are blended with wool or contain body oils or food stains. 

Clothing moths are not the only fabric-destroying pests in our area. One other common keratin-hungry pest is the carpet beetle. Now, these two insects look very different. We highly recommend doing your research on these pests as well if you are interested to learn more. Keeping to the topic of this article, both carpet beetles and clothing moths love to eat things like coats, blankets, scarves, sweaters, pillows, comforters, rugs, toys, and decorative items. 

Something important to remember about clothing moths is that these pests do not like living out in the open. They will spend the majority of their time in your basement, attic, or storage areas around your home. If you store winter or summer clothing away for a season, you could pull it back out and find that articles are riddled with holes, surface etching, and other similar damage. The same thing is true if you store a sofa, rug, or any of the other items we just listed away in storage. We will talk more in a bit about how you can protect these stored items from clothing moths and other fabric-eating pests.

Simple Tips To Prevent Clothing Moths In Your Home

We are going to assume that you do not want moth holes in clothes around your home. In order to keep these pests from invading and destroying your wardrobe, stored furniture, and other fabric-based items, it is important that you take action today. The two options you have for protection are DIY and professional pest control. Let's start with a few DIY tips and tricks that our experts recommend.

• Wash your clothing when it gets dirty and never store used or soiled items. This helps to deter moths as they look for tasty areas to lay their eggs.
• Air out your wardrobe by taking it out of storage and hanging it for an afternoon. This will help prevent damp or musty conditions that draw in unwanted clothing moths.
• When storing clothing away for the summer or winter, use air-tight storage containers or vacuum-sealed bags. As long as clothing moths or their eggs are not already inside, this should keep your wardrobe safe until you are ready to bring it back out. Cardboard boxes are completely ineffective at keeping these pests away.
• Use cedar wood rings with clothing or cedarwood essential oil sprayed around storage areas. This is not a perfect deterrent but it will help in some situations to keep these pests away.
• Check for clothing moth eggs and larvae on used clothing, second-hand furniture, and other similar items. Eggs are a creamy-white color and look similar to tiny grains of rice. Larvae are also creamy-white but are long and wriggly.
• Inspect your home’s exterior for gaps, holes, and cracks. Use a caulking gun to fill in smaller entry points and have larger sections of damage repaired by a professional. This is one of the best things you can do to prevent pest problems in general.
• Make sure all of your exterior doors and windows are in good working condition and that they are properly sealed with things like weatherstripping, door sweeps, and screens.
• Monitor or keep unscreened windows and doors closed. You only have to leave a door or window open for a few minutes for pests like clothing moths to find their way into your home.

Keeping up with these preventative measures is no easy task. If you do not have time to combat pest problems on your own or you are simply looking for an easier option to protect your home, let us share some professional options with you today. Our team at Modern Pest Control understands why clothing moths invade homes and we have great options to help you combat these pests. All you have to do is keep an eye out for eggs and larvae on used items as we cannot do this for you. Here is more information about our pest control methods and how we can help you defend your home through every season. 

Contact The Pros To Get Rid Of A Clothing Moth Infestation

Clothing moths are not the only pests that invade homes here in Katy. There are many other local species that might invade your living areas and cause problems for you, your family, and your belongings. For this reason, we offer pest control plans that cover a wide variety of invasive species. To be more specific, we use a method called IPM (integrated pest management.) This is an involved approach to pest control that goes far beyond traditional treatments. Where some other companies spray and pray, we dig deep to understand the root of problems and utilize environmentally friendly methods to assess, prevent, and eliminate pest pressures. Our process for IPM involves a four-stage approach.

1. Pest Identification: We start with a thorough inspection of your home and property. One of our technicians will check around for pest pressures and identify if there are any active infestations threatening you, your loved ones, or your home. Through this process, we will keep track of what we learn to better create a plan of action for your individual needs.
2. Action: Our initial service visit will address any active pest problems you are facing and determine what types of treatments are needed to handle your unique situation. We use a wide array of treatments including biological, cultural, physical/mechanical, and chemical management tools. We do our best to avoid more powerful products when they are not needed and only bring out the big guns when dealing with pests that are directly threatening you or your home.
3. Prevention: After we use methods to address active problems inside your home, we will implement and encourage long-term preventative strategies to keep out future invaders. These strategies include addressing entry points, reducing clutter, removing trash, installing pest barriers, eliminating sources of water build-up, and utilizing other treatments if they are deemed necessary.
4. Monitoring and Adjustments: Every time we visit your home for retreatments, we will assess the state of pest pressures and other environmental factors that might lead to new pest problems. We will then adjust existing treatments as needed to optimize your protection.

The biggest benefit of integrated home pest management is that it focuses on the needs of the homeowner. Instead of spraying chemicals around your home’s exterior and hoping that it will eliminate pests before they get indoors, we work to address the factors that attract invaders in the first place. This guarantees a higher level of protection and a better impact on the environment.

Now that you know more about how we deal with pests, let’s talk about why you should choose Modern Pest Control over our competition. To start, we have been in business for decades longer than most of our local competitors. Established in 1952, we are a staple for quality and unmatched customer satisfaction here in Texas. We have made a name for ourselves but we still continue to work hard to improve our methods. If this is what you are looking for for your home, we are standing by and are ready to make you an appointment. We will make sure clothing moths and any other pests that might want to invade your home are left outside looking in.

Contact our team at Modern Pest Control if you have any unanswered questions about clothing moths or if you are ready to make an appointment for your Katy home and property. We will step in and provide everything you need to combat these destructive insects and protect your belongings through every season. It really is that simple.