The most common fabric pests evident in Sydney are Moths, Carpet Beetles, Book Louse and Sliverfish. Micropest pest control Sydney pest controllers have been controlling moths, carpet beetles, book louse and silver fish for over twenty years are fully licenced and insured and utilise safe yet effective pest control treatments.

Moths

The discovery of moths in a clothes closet is usually a sad and expensive experience. These voracious eaters are no respecters of quality and will ruin a $1500 suit as readily as a $515 jumper These are two of the common clothes moths to consider.

1) The Case making clothes moth is the most common variety As the name suggests, they make cases for themselves which they enlarge by cutting slits as they grow The colour of the case often reveals what they have been eating. For example if the case is green and you have a green sweater that is probably where the damage has been done.

2) The Webbing clothes moth larvae constructs a tube for its nest. This is silk lined and frequently passes through several layers of material. The moth emerges from this tube when it is ready. Both varieties of moths show a preference for animal products (such as wool, felt & hair. They have a life cycle of 5-6 months and their larvae range between 7-10 mm in length.

Carpet Beetles

Like the moths, Carpet beetles have a preference for animal fibres. They will avoid synthetics such as nylon and terylene. However, even these, when soiled, are liable to be attacked, so hygiene is all important in discouraging these pests.

The name Carpet beetle, tends to be rather misleading because they do not restrict their activities to carpets and will feed equally readily on such products as fish and meat meal. They will also attack grain and cereal products.

The three principal types of carpet beetles, the Variegated, the Australian and the Black are all of similar size and appetites. The adult beetles are 2-6 mm long, the larvae about 4-9 mm and their life cycles vary between 6 and 12 months. Some varieties feed on pollen and have been brought into houses on picked flowers.

Silverfish

These flat nuisances do their most common damage in books and clothing. They tend to prefer vegetable fabrics such as cotton and linen as well as the starchy bindings on books and paper The adult silverfish grows up to 20-25 mm in length. Their life cycle is between 2 and 4 years. The female lays 50-100 eggs each year The young silverfish is very little different in appearance from the adult and usually feeds on damp wallpaper and other paper products.

The Book Louse

In spite of their name, book lice seldom feed on paper or paper products. Their diet consists of fungi which grow on the surface of paper, wood or stored foods. Book lice are much smaller than any of the other fabric pests and they are only 1-2 mm long and they usually have a life cycle of 2-4 months.

Controlling Fabric Pests

Hygiene is the key factor here. Only clean clothing and other articles should ever be stored or packed for any length of time. Soiled garments are an irresistible invitation to these pests - as well as to cockroaches. If clothes are stored in plastic bags they should be packed with naphthalene.

Silverfish, in particular, live in roofing cavities and under floors. These areas should be thoroughly treated by professionals. Thorough hygiene and a watchful eye are the keys to controlling fabric pests and regular inspections are the most effective way of protecting your books and clothing from their attention.