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Tineola bisselliella

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"Clothing moth" redirects here. This term may also refer to several other Tineidae.

Common Clothes Moth
Adult from Dresden (Germany)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Suborder:
Glossata
Infraorder:
Heteroneura
Division:
Ditrysia
Superfamily:
Tineoidea
Family:
Tineidae
Subfamily:
Tineinae
Genus:
Tineola
Species:
T. bisselliella
Binomial name
Tineola bisselliella
(Hummel, 1823)
Synonyms

Numerous, see text

The Common Clothes Moth or Webbing Clothes Moth (Tineola bisselliella), often simply called Clothing Moth, is a species of fungus moth (family Tineidae). Therein it belongs to the subfamily Tineinae. It is the type species of its genus Tineola. The specific name is commonly mis-spelled biselliella – for example by G.A.W. Herrich-Schäffer, when he established Tineola in 1853.[1]

The caterpillar larvae of this moth are considered a serious pest, as they can derive nourishment from clothing – in particular wool, but many other natural fibers – and also, like most moth of its relatives, from stored produce.

Range and ecology

Its natural range is western Eurasia, but has been transported by human travelers to other localities. For example, it is nowadays found in Australia. The species' presence has not been recorded in France, Greece, Slovenia and Switzerland, though this likely reflects the lack of occurrence data rather than absence.[2]

Adult specimen
Caterpillar

This moth prefers moist conditions, although low humidity will merely slow development. Webbing Clothes Moths are small moths whose adults grow to between 1 and 2 cm in length[verification needed]. Their eggs are tiny, most being under 1 mm long and barely visible. A female will lay several hundred during her lifetime; egg placement is carefully chosen in locations where they will have the best chance for survival.

The eggs are attached with a glue-like substance and can be quite difficult to remove. After the egg hatches, the larva will immediately look for food. Larvae can obtain their required food in less than two months, but if conditions are not favorable they will feed on and off for a long time. Whether it takes two months or two years, each larva will eventually spin a cocoon in which it will pupate and change into an adult. Larvae stay in these cocoons for between one and two months and then emerge as adults ready to mate and to lay eggs.

This species is notorious for feeding on clothing and natural fibers; they have the ability to turn keratin (a protein of which hair and wool mainly consist) into food. The moths prefer dirty fabric for oviposition and are particularly attracted to carpeting and clothing that contains human sweat or other liquids which have been spilled onto them. They are attracted to these areas not for the food but for the moisture: the caterpillars do not drink water; consequently their food must contain moisture.

The range of recorded foodstuffs includes cotton, linen, silk and wool fabrics as well as furs; furthermore they have been found on shed feathers and hair, bran, semolina and flour (possibly preferring wheat flour), biscuits, casein, and insect specimens in museums. In one case, living T. bisselliella caterpillars were found in salt. They had probably just accidentally wandered there – as even to such a polyphagous species pure sodium chloride has no nutritional value – but still it attests to their robustness.[3]

Both adults and larvae prefer low light conditions. Whereas many other Tineidae are drawn to light, Common Clothes Moths seem to prefer dim or dark areas. If larvae find themselves in a well-lit room, they will try to relocate under furniture or carpet edges. Handmade rugs are a favorite, because it is easy for the larvae to crawl underneath and do their damage from below. They will also crawl under moldings at the edges of rooms in search of darkened areas where debris has gathered and which consequently hold good food.

The eggs hatch into larvae, which then begin to feed. Once they have finished larval development, they pupate and undergo metamorphosis to emerge as imagines (adult moths). Adults do not eat; males look for females and females look for places to lay eggs. Once their job is done, they die. Contrary to what most people believe, adult T. bisselliella do not eat or cause any damage to clothing or fabric. It is the larvae which are solely responsible for this, and which spend their entire time eating and foraging for food.

Pest control

Control measures for T. bisselliella (and similar species) include the following:

  • Physical measures
    • Clothing Moth Traps – this step can help monitor the current infestation and prevent males from mating with females
    • Cryofumigation – Fumigating an object with dry ice, that is enclosing it in a plastic bag for 3–5 days with dry ice so it is effectively bathed in a high concentration of carbon dioxide, denied oxygen, and thus it will kill all stages of clothing moths. For details, see Clothes Moths Management Guidelines, under "Household Furnishings".
    • Dry cleaning – This step kills moths on existing clothing and helps remove moisture from clothes
    • Freezing – Freezing the object for several days at temperatures below 32°F/0°C
    • Heat (120°F/50°C for 30 minutes or more) – these conditions may possibly be achieved by placing infested materials in an attic in warm weather, or by washing clothes at or above this temperature
    • Sunlight – has a limited effect
    • Vacuuming – Since the moths like to hide in carpeting and baseboards, this is an important step towards full eradication
  • Synthetic insecticides – typically an aerosols works best here. Be sure to get proper coverage and don't spread it too thinly. Treat once a month for the first three months and then once a quarter for the next year to ensure the infestation is under control.
  • Biological measures
    • Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) – a safer and more natural alternative to mothballs
    • Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) – questionable value as a deterrent. While the volatile oil is able to kill small larvae, it is difficult to maintain sufficient concentrations of it around stored articles to be effective; cedar wood loses all moth-suppressant capabilities after a few years. Other cedar species may have better or worse effects.
    • Common Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) – either bags with dried lavender flowers are put into the wardrobe (they can be refreshed by putting a few drops of lavender oil on them), or a few drops of lavender oil are put on a piece of fabric which is then deposited in the wardrobe and periodically refreshed. Disadvantage: strong "perfumed" smell
    • Ichneumon wasps (e.g. Trichogramma evanescens) – tiny parasitoid wasps which place their own eggs beside those of the moths; when hatching their larvae eat the moth eggs. Ichneumon wasps are harmless to humans, measuring only about 2 mm. Once all moth eggs are eaten, the wasps vanish within 2–4 weeks.

Synonyms

The Common Clothes Moth is such a widespread and frequently-seen species that it has been described time and again under a variety of junior synonyms and other now-invalid scientific names:[4]

  • Paracharactis vestianella (sensu auct., non Linnaeus, 1758: preoccupied)
  • Tinea biselliella (lapsus)
  • Tinea bisselliella Hummel, 1823
  • Tinea crinella Sodoffsky, 1830[5]
  • Tinea destructor Stephens, 1834[verification needed]
  • Tinea flavifrontella Thunberg, 1794 (non Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775: preoccupied)
  • Tinea lanariella Clemens, 1859
  • Tinea vestianella (sensu auct., non Linnaeus, 1758: preoccupied)
  • Tineola biselliella (lapsus)
  • Tineola crinella (Sodoffsky, 1830)[5]
  • Tineola destructor (Stephens, 1834[verification needed])
  • Tineola lanariella (Clemens, 1859)
  • Tineola furciferella Zaguljaev, 1954

Footnotes

  1. ^ Pitkin & Jenkins (2004), FE (2009), and see references in Savela (2003)
  2. ^ ABRS (2008), FE (2009)
  3. ^ Grabe (1942)
  4. ^ ABRS (2008), Robinson [2010]
  5. ^ a b Sometimes attributed to Treitschke (1832) in error: see e.g. references in Savela (2003)

References

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