House is suddenly full of small moths

[ThatNimblePeer]

Is anyone else experiencing this? Is it a recognisable summer thing? We had cluster flies a few months ago, which have thankfully disappeared. However in the last few days, I’m suddenly spotting small brown moths on the walls all over the house. Can also see them all over the skylight during the day. I have had issues in the past with moths chewing my clothes, but I very rarely saw actual moths, just holes. Is this related to that? It seems strange that there would suddenly be so many. Will they go away? I’m killing any I spot within reach.

Are they carpet moths? We've seemingly been invaded by them this week so I'm gonna blitz them fumigating the rooms with fly spray at some point over the weekend.

Sounds like carpet moths.

They go after wool, silk and natural fibres. Check your clothes and carpets.

I had to throw away two good wool coats and replace carpets when I had an infestation.

Pantry moth? We inherited them with the kitchen in the house we bought. Live off flour, crumbs, cereal specks etc. hard to eradicate despite a lot of cleaning and putting food in containers. Gone when we got a new kitchen.

Yeah they've hatched out of your carpets/rugs/clothes. Irritating little fuckers.

Yes I have also noticed these small moths and it occurred to me that these must be the ones that produce the eggs then small ‘Woolley bug’ grubs that eat wool textiles.
I’ve had ongoing problems with these over the years and I kill the little grubs if I seem them but I don’t remember seeing the moths before .

This must be what we had two years ago. Bloody awful to get rid of

We were plagued with the little bastards and random holes in good clothes. DH found parasitic wasps on Amazon and we now buy them every spring and no more moths. They sound scary, but are microscopic and eat moth larva.

I think they’re case-bearing moths, so either clothes or carpet I guess. Knock on wood, I haven’t really seen them in the kitchen so far so I don’t think they’re pantry moths. I haven’t spotted any bare patches on the carpet. Weirdly I had someone from pest control in that long ago because of a few holes in my clothes and they took a look and didn’t seem to think I had a major issue… might have to call them again! It seems strange because it’s sort of zero to 100 out of nowhere, and they seem to be all over the house not just my room which was the place previously that really seemed to have an issue with clothes holes. So I’m wondering if it’s somehow seasonal and they are just coming through open windows/trickle vents, and might move on of their own accord like the cluster flies did, but I don’t know…

Thanks - I’ve been wondering whether to get these, sounds like maybe I should try. How many packs do you get and where do you put them? Do you find just one round sorts it, or does it need multiple rounds?

Tell me more about this please?

Woolly bears are the larvae of the Carpet Beetle, rather than a moth.

I have waged war against the little blighters for four years. They have hatched out if your carpets or clothes. They won't just go away, if you have that many you may need drastic action, you need moth killer and spray the carpets close to the walls. Read the instructions because it's horrid stuff. Hoover a lot. You have to disrupt them. 🙂I put all my woollens in plastic bags but what seems to have had a real effect is steam cleaning my carpets. I sound like a mad woman but I can't stand them.

Yes!!! Lately, I see them on my curtains but they keep evading me when I try to catch them! Although I managed to hand catch two at midnight last night (damn things kept setting my motion alert camera off 😫) then when I got back into bed... 'human detected'... Yup, it was another damn moth crawling up the window! I have a fly zapper but I'm reluctant to use it on moths, probably just turn them to instant dust. I've heard cedar balls work but I might end up zapping them first...

You can get moth pheromone traps (from Amazon or similar) that you hang up and they stick to them, and also moth spray. But sounds like you need to do a very thorough hunt through all wardrobes / carpets / under beds to find where they are coming from, strange that they are all over the house and not fairly contained in a bedroom / landing area for example

Are they stripey? We've had little stripey ones come in. I'm fairy sure our carpets must be synthetic though because they are 'bleachable' and I assume wool wouldn't take that?

They are a nightmare. Pull out furniture and look along edges of the carpets for little rice size white grains that are a bit fluffy. They are the bastards that make the holes.

I got rid of them by spraying, hoovering madly and pulling out all the furniture daily searching with a torch.

Mine weren't in the carpet, but in the underside of house plant leaves. Thankfully I was able to get a lot of then whilst they were still either in the cocoon or in caterpillar form. So my recommendation is to check any house plants.

Yes you definitely need to check your carpets under the furniture, that's how I eventually found the source after experiencing them all over the house like you are. Too late to save a beautiful Persian rug unfortunately, they'd nested in the part of it that was under the sofa.

I have done battle with the blighters for the last few years, do you have any wool content in your carpets? I’m gradually replacing all mine with man made fibres only as had some stripped bare in certain areas - under furniture where I hadn’t noticed mainly.
Unfortunately it’s a huge house and I don’t think despite regular spraying / vacuuming / sticky insect strips I will ever be rid until every carpet has been replaced.
Fortunately I’m not into Cashmere sweaters!