Clothes moths
Scientific name
Tinea spp.
Classification
Secondary pest; Grain feeder
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tineidae
Acronym: TSP
Classification of Tinea has been subject to review recently and Tinea pellionella is now known to be a complex of 11 species. We are treating the group as Tinea spp.
Description
- Adults' heads are covered with rough scales that give them a hairy appearance, a unique feature.
- Adults' labial palps are not curved upwards.
- Moths are generally light to dark brown with narrow forewings (rare to see adult moths, though).
- Larvae are white and reach a length of 7 to 12 mm at maturity.
Similar species
- European grain moth (Nemapogon granella)
Commodities affected
- Occasionally found in grain with high moisture content
- More commonly feeds on clothes, carpet, animal hair, feathers and animal remains
- Is a more a pest of products that contain wool than it is of stored grain
Signs of infestation
- Contamination of products with larva and pupal cases
- Holes in wool articles
Damage
- Damage is caused by larval feeding and is not distinctive.
- Significant damage may be seen in clothes, carpets, tapestries and upholstery.
How to control
Geographic range
- Is found worldwide, especially in temperate and Mediterranean areas
- In Canada, some species, such as the large pale clothes moth (Tinea pallescentella), are more restricted in their distribution (British Columbia)
- Have been found across Canada
Where found
- Found in damp grain occasionally in mills, granaries, warehouses
- Are more common in households, rodent and bird nests, stables
Life history
- Adults do not feed and are short-lived.
- Females lay eggs in crevices.
- Larvae construct a spindle-shaped portable silk tube.
- Larvae live and pupate in this tube.
- Larvae are most likely found in damp areas.
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