Most of us often see the odd moth in our houses, certainly during the summer time and don't think anything of it. Most of the time this is fine, as the majority of moths are harmless insect pests that are only interested in the light. However, how would you feel if the moths in your house were the variety that breed and infest a home, munching its way through all your fine clothing and soft furniture?

The Common Clothes Moth, also known as Tineloa Bisselliella, have a completely different nature in comparison with other types of moth. They rarely fly as they favor undisturbed, dark places of the home and often travel through either by running or hopping. They survive and breed in the home by way of eating their way through various fabric items and sadly they tend to love the most expensive materials and will do anything in their power to reach them. These can include wool fur, silk and feathered items, as the majority of these materials include a substance known as keratin, which is actually one of the most ingestible proteins. However, certain insects including the clothes moth have special conditions in their stomach, enabling them to break down the keratin making it a digestible material.

With regards to their appearance, clothes moths are generally around 5mm long and are yellow/brown looking in colour with narrow wings fringed with long hairs. They are actually rarely noticed in the home due to their inclination to immediately hide inside garments or furniture if ever disturbed, which makes them incredibly difficult to get rid of. Carpets, blankets, feathered and fur products can be seriously damaged by this pest and there have been instances where victims have had to replace the carpet in their entire home!

Generally there is no genuine answer why only certain homes suffer from infestation, although older properties tend to be more affected than newer builds, due to a moth's love of older garments and the difficulty in completely eradicating a moth infestation. The bad news is that over the last twenty years there has been an rise in the number of homes affected by these unwanted pests. Some say this is due to the temperature of houses in today's society, as many years ago moths would be killed off in the winter, others say the increase is due to the sheer volume of clothing the average woman now owns, meaning hundreds of moths have plenty of items to feed on, or on the other hand the increase could also be down to lack of hygiene, moths adore dirty materials, therefore putting away unwashed clothes items, or leaving a winter coat hanging up that hasn't been dry cleaned, is like leaving crumbs of bread out for a rat.

There are certain remedies that if followed can reduce the possibilities of becoming the victim of a moth infestation; regularly banging items in the light where moths tend to remain, such as rugs, seat covers or blankets, will disturb them and motivate them to leave. As already mentioned moths love un-clean clothes particularly garments such as coats and suits that sit in a wardrobe for months without being cleaned, regularly deep cleaning any textiles and then storing them in sealed plastic cases will also help prevent an infestation.

If all else fails or you are uncertain, contact the industry experts - A reliable pest control company will handle each case differently and offer different types of traps and treatments dependant upon the severity.