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

• Control grain insect pests

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.