Moth-e-matics

The Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila Pseudospretella) is a common house moth originally from Asia. In the 1840s, this moth was accidentally introduced to Europe, eventually spreading through the British Isles, and also into north America.

Of the 2,500 moth species in Britain there are only five – thankfully – that can do your wardrobe and carpets serious damage. The common clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella) and the brown house moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella) are the worst offenders.

The brown house moth is considered a serious pest in domestic and commercial settings because of the larvae's destructive feeding habits. Larvae feed on various manmade foodstuffs and household materials. These include stored cereals, dried fruit, seeds, clothes and furniture fabric, fur, and wood floor inlays. Their destructive power is largely attributable to their unusual ability to degrade keratin. Larvae also bite through synthetic carpet fibres to construct their pupation cells, and since they rarely ingest the fibres, they are little affected by conventional moth-proofing agents.

Posted on 16 April, 2024 18:09 by heliastes21