You are here

Webbing Clothes Moth

Tineola bisselliella
Tineola bisselliella
Did you know that… ?
  • …fabric is eaten only by the moth's larvae, not the adult?
  • …spray containing DDT was commonly used against clothes moths?
  • …clothes moths originated in western Eurasia, and from there spread with humans all over the world?
  • …clothes moths are one of the fastest running moths?
  • …female moths are poor flyers, while males fly quite well?
Tineola bisselliella by Slovenian Museum of Natural History
General info
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Size: 14 mm
Food: (larvae) fabrics, furs, feathers
Habitat: entire household
Distribution: cosmopolitan
Relationship with humans: pest

Clothes moths are tiny insects, distributed worldwide and closely tied to human habitations. Adults are most often encountered in early spring and summer. Females seek out dark, damp places to lay their eggs, which hatch into larvae in about two weeks. These larvae are what cause the damage to clothing and other objects containing keratin. They eat mostly wool and leather textiles, but they also consume fur and feathers, so they are a threat to stuffed animals and insect collections. Eventually the larvae cocoon themselves and in six weeks, hatch into an adult moth.