Cloth Moth Trap - FAQs

The EnviroSafe Clothes Moth Trap includes a powerful combination of two pheromones to attract male moths to the trap. The moths are caught in the super sticky panels inside the trap.

The EnviroSafe Clothes Moth Trap catches several species of clothes moths including the webbing clothes moth Tineola bisselliella, the case-making clothes moth, Tinea pellionella, as well two other species, Niditinea fuscella, and Monopis icterogastra.

The EnviroSafe attractant will attract clothes moths for 3 months. There is a space on the trap where you can record when you set the trap, so you can monitor when you need to replace it.

The EnviroSafe Clothes Moth trap can be placed in your wardrobe, or on the floor behind furniture if you are checking for moths in your furniture or carpet. Clothes moths tend to prefer dark or dim spaces and are not attracted to light like other moths. Some clothes moth species are not particularly good fliers and tend to crawl or hop around so you may be more likely to trap them by placing the trap on the floor near the wall or on a lower shelf in your wardrobe.

Clothes moths are tiny moths (5-7mm long). They are often a soft golden colour with fringed wings. The larvae are small and whitish with a brown head and either carry a silken tube made of clothing fibres with them, or create tubes into which they can retreat easily. The larvae feed on natural fibres such as wool, silk, linen, as well as fur, feathers and hair.

The larvae of clothes moths feed on natural fibres in clothes, upholstered furniture, and rugs or carpets, making holes. The holes they create may be difficult to see initially, because the larvae tend to feed within folds and may create silken patches or cases using particles of fabric and their own excrement which is similar in colour to the material being attacked. They prefer dark undisturbed places, such as drawers, chests or wardrobes where clothes may be stored for extended periods of time. They may also be found infesting upholstered furniture and in vents and ducts where the larvae may feed on lint, shed pet hair and other debris.

When you find moths in your trap, these will be one of the species of clothes moth. They are only small (5-7mm) and have a fringe along the outer edge of the wings.

If you find any moths on the trap, you should start a disinfestation process. This will involve removing your clothes from the wardrobe and checking them for the signs of moth larvae (holes, webbing). In particular, check along seams, folds and creases (eg collars and cuffs) where larvae often prefer to feed. Infested articles should be laundered, dry cleaned or, if badly damaged, disposed of. Dry-cleaning or hot laundering will kill any eggs or larvae present, as will freezing or heat treatment with a clothes dryer. Wipe over all wardrobe shelf surfaces. Vacuum floors, carpets, inside air-conditioning vents, underneath furniture and inside closets, paying particular attention to anywhere lint may have accumulated.

Clothes moths are attracted to sweat and food particles in fabrics, so ensure clothes are clean when you hang them up. Between seasons, store clean woollen items in sealed garment bags or airtight containers. Regularly give your wardrobe a spring clean and keep well ventilated.

• Eggs laid in natural fibre products take 6 – 38 days to hatch
• Larvae then feed on the clothing or furnishings for 60 – 200 days
• The pupal stage lasts for 10 – 50 days before emerging in the adult form
• The adults are relatively short-lived and do not themselves feed on, or damage, materials.

The females may lay 40 – 50 eggs which in turn hatch into the fabric-eating larvae.

EnviroSafe Clothes Moth Trap are available at Bunnings.