If you’ve ever seen the powdery little moths flying out of your closet, you know that sinking feeling of realizing just the sight of them can’t be a good thing. Fabric-destroying insects cause much damage each year. In addition to large losses in commercial fabric manufacturing and storage operations, the many small damages caused in households add up to a significant figure. A hole in a $250 suit usually means a new suit will be purchased, a patch of carpet damaged under a sofa may require purchase of new carpeting the next time furniture is re-arranged. Other materials which are readily infested include sweaters, coats, upholstery, piano felts, blankets and any other woolen products. Furs, hair, leathers and hides, feathers, horns, insect and animal collections and such stored foods as meat, fish, meal and milk products are also vulnerable to these insects. Synthetic fibers and cellulose materials are damaged only incidentally, often because they are soiled with greasy food stains, body oils, or other residues which are the primary object of the insect attack.
Just as the termites, these insect pests of fabrics are troublesome because of their ability to digest and utilize keratin as an energy source. Although the word keratin may seem rather foreign, it is a very important material to people. Keratin is the chief protein constituent of such human tissues as hair, fingernails and skin. In other mammals, keratin is the chief structural protein in horns, hoofs, and feathers. Keratin is a protein which is quite stable chemically and is very resistant to most means of digestion. Few animals are able to digest keratin, and these include only a relatively small number of insects. This peculiar ability to digest keratin, coupled with our widespread use of wool and other animal hair, is the basis of fabric pest problems in our societies.
Damage by Clothes Moths may not be immediately evident, but the next time you take out that old winter coat you will know right away if these pests have found their way into your closet! Moth larvae love to feed on fabrics such as wool, rugs, upholstery and furs as well as animal bristles on brushes, felts inside pianos, and even the fish meal in fish food. The damage they leave behind is often hidden under collars and cuffs, in the crevices of upholstered furniture and in areas of carpeting covered by furniture and other stationary items. This is why, if you do come across such damages in your home, you should call the professionals at Eliminate’Em to eliminate them right away.
At Eliminate’Em Pest Control Services, LLC, we know how important it is to get fast, professional, courteous service and we are here to provide our customers just that. We have been family-owned and operated for over 20 years with experienced pest exterminators that will get the job done quickly.
Give us a call. You can reach us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Or, use our convenient online form to make Clothes Moths a thing of the past.
