Sian West
Moths and Moth Damage.
There are several pests and insects that could be responsible for causing damage to your rugs and carpets in your home, but the likely culprits of moth damage are either the carpet moth or the clothes moth. Although it’s not actually the adult moth that causes the damage, it’s actually at the larvae stage of its life cycle that it causes the lasting devastation to your rugs and carpets.
How to identify if you have a moth problem.
The carpet moth is a very small moth and can go unnoticed in your home, especially if you have light coloured carpets or Persian or Oriental rugs with intricate patterns. They also tend to hide in dark places, under furniture such as sofas, sideboards and tables. Places where they are less likely to be disturbed or where the vacuum cleaner doesn’t reach. They love wool fibres but are also known to eat other fibres such as silk and fur.
The first signs you may notice is the loss of tufts from your rug or maybe even notice some pupa cases on the surface of your rug which look similar to grains of rice.
Life cycle of the moth.
Eggs: Usually laid deep down the pile of your carpet or on the back of your rug. They prefer dark and undisturbed areas where the eggs will be safe to hatch, the eggs are very tiny and white in colour and clustered into groups. They take around 4 – 10 days to hatch.
Larvae: The larvae look like small cream maggots or worms, they also have transparent body so if your rug is green then they will also appear green from the fibres they have consumed. Larvae can live from 2 months up until 2 years! That’s potentially a lot of damage caused from the larvae munching through those rug fibres. Interestingly they prefer dirtier fibres as they will give the larvae more nutrients. Once they are fully fed and the time is right, they enclose themselves in a silk cocoon/pupa.
Pupa: Where the moth is in its transition stage of its life cycle. This period takes around two weeks before the adult moth emerges.
Adult Moth: The adult moth doesn’t feed at all during this stage and concentrates on laying eggs to complete its life cycle. It can live for up to two months and can lay thousands of eggs during this time
How can you prevent moth damage?
- Make sure you vaccum your Wool rug regularly, especially under furniture where they like to hide.
- Check your rug for signs of moths and moth damage. Early treatment is key
- If you have food or drink spills, have your rug cleaned.
- Have your rug cleaned off site by a professional
What can we do to help?
If you have a moth infestation you will need the help of a professional, be sure to choose your professional wisely make sure they follow these procedures.
- They have a good understanding about pest control.
- They are certified and approved to use pesticides. (They should have a TIP certificate) You can ask for their TIP number.
- They follow the correct procedure for treatment (At least 2 treatments 14 days apart) This ensures that even the eggs that are impenetrable and resistance to chemicals are also treated)
Once your rug has been succesfully treated you can either leave the rug as it is or have the areas of moth damage restored, Here at Arcadia Rug Spa we offer both moth treatments and restoration of moth damaged rugs.