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United States Department of Agriculturi -i!-:..!î;asssaïî'f'SïB'ï: (iJuLlic.r ^rollis ami (larpcL What Larvae and 13(^^1.1<'S . HOW TO COMBAT THEM Adulfs Look Like Where I Are Like Good H as Conti PestprooMîiï Yci- Woolens with EQ-ä3 HOME AM) (JARDEIV BLIJJ'.TIA No. 24 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURI THIS BULLETIN was prepared by the Division of Stored Product Insect Investigations, Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, Agricultural Research Administration. It brings up to date in- formation in Leaflet 145, Clothes Moths, and Leaflet 150, Carpet Beetles, both by E. A. Back, and supersedes those publications. Washington, D. C. Issued April 1953 SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF INSECTS DISCUSSED Webbing clothes moth Tineola bisselliella Casemaking clothes moth Tinea pellionella Carpet beetle Anthrenus scrophulariae Furniture carpet beetle Anthrenus flavipes Varied carpet beetle Anthrenus verhasci Black carpet beetle Attagenus piceus Clothes Moths and Carpet Beetles . HOW TO COMBAT THEM Clothes moths are well recognized as heads. The adult moths are yellowish or fabric pests. Housewives throughout the buff, and have a wing spread of about country are on guard against them. The 1/2 inch. fact that they cause widespread damage The larvae of the carpet beetle, the is due more to weaknesses in control furniture carpet beetle, and the varied measures than to lack of awareness of the carpet beetle are elongate-oval in shape, need for control. are never more than 1/4 inch long, and Not so well known as clothes moths, have brownish or black bristles that give but just as destructive to fabrics, are them a fuzzy appearance. The full-grown carpet beetles, or "buffalo moths." Car- larvae change into small beetles mottled pet beetles are more abundant than with white, yellow, brown, or black. clothes moths in some localities, and The black carpet beetle is easily dis- damage that they do is often blamed on tinguished from the other three species. clothes moths. The larvae are yellowish, golden, or dark The larvae of clothes moths and car- brown ; they may get to be 1 /2 inch long ; pet beetles damage fabrics by feeding on the slender bodies are tapered from the them. They feed on anything that con- head to the end of the body, where there tains wool or other animal fibers. The is a tuft of long brown hairs. The adult adult moths and beetles do no damage. beetles have solid black bodies and Estimates of the damage caused each brownish legs. year by clothes moths and carpet beetles The illustrations on page 5, which are in the United States range from $200 in natural color, will help you identify million to $500 million. clothes moths and carpet beetles in your home. What they look like Two species of clothes moths and four Stages of development species of carpet beetles commonly infest homes. Clothes moths and carpet beetles pass The webbing clothes moth and the through four stages of development- casemaking clothes moth look much egg, larva, pupa, and adult. alike. The full-grown larvae are about The female moths and beetles lay soft, 1/2 inch long, and are practically hair- white eggs in the nap of clothing, in the less; they are white, except for the dark pile of upholstering, in cracks, and in other concealed places. A moth lays from air ducts of heating systems, on closet 100 to 300 eggs, which hatch in 4 to 8 shelves, or in dresser drawers. days in summer. A beetle lays about 100 Adult clothes moths prefer darkness, eggs, which hatch in 8 to 15 days in and do not flit about lights; but they summer. Hatching takes longer in cool may be seen flying lazily in darkened weather. corners, or at the edge of a circle of Under conditions normally existing in illumination. When clothing or other homes, the black carpet beetle has one objects on which they are resting are generation a year ; the other carpet beetles suddenly moved, the moths run or fly to and the clothes moths have two, three, conceal themselves. or four generations a year. Adult carpet beetles fly readily, are As the carpet beetle larvae grow, they attracted to daylight, and are sometimes shed their skins, or molt, several times. found on window sills. They like sun- light, and in the spring large numbers are Food and habits outdoors feeding on the pollen of flowers. As soon as they are hatched, the larvae begin eating. They feed on wool, mohair, How infestations begin hair, bristles, fur, feathers, and down. Thus they attack clothing and a wide In urban areas some infestations are range of household furnishings, includ- started by adult carpet beetles or clothes ing blankets, comforters, rugs, carpets, moths that fly from house to house. An drapes, pillows, hair mattresses, brushes, infestation is more likely to be started upholstery, and hair padding in uphol- in this way by beetles than by moths. stered furniture. The insects are sometimes carried into They also feed on organic matter- homes on articles containing wool or hair that falls from pets, lint, and dead other animal fibers. Most commonly these insects—that collects in places infre- articles are secondhand clothing, up- quently cleaned. holstered furniture, and house furnish- Besides feeding on all these materials, ings. black carpet beetle larvae feed on grain Carpet beetles breed and feed not only products. in homes but also outdoors, in such Clothes moth larvae usually stay on places as bird and rodent nests, and the their food material. A webbing clothes adults sometimes enter homes from these moth larva spins a silken webbing to places. form a feeding tube, which is attached Carpet beetle larvae may crawl from to the food material. A casemaking one room to another. If a hall carpet clothes moth larva spins a protective in an apartment house becomes infested, case, which it drags about. it is almost certain that some of the larvae Carpet beetle larvae, which do not will crawl from the hall into rooms that spin webbing, are more active, crawling open onto it. from place to place. You may find them The practice of exchanging woolen on cotton goods or other things on which scraps for use in making rugs accounts they do not feed. They often live behind for some infestations. When such scraps baseboards and moldings, in cracks in the have lain unprotected for long periods, floor, in corners, behind radiators, in the they may become infested. FABRIC 4 BLACK CARPirr BEETLE ./, Larva; fe. pupa; c, adult. Batk- ground shov.s damagt- to fabric. ■4 WEBBINCi CLO'l HES MOTH ,/. Lar%a and iilken fffding tube; h, cocoon; r. cocoon with cai>t pupal bkin protruding; a. adult. Background shows typical clipping <>t nap. All insects about six times natural si?e. ) CONTROL AND PREVENTION To control clothes moths and carpet Corners, cracks, baseboards, moldings, beetles, and to prevent them from dam- and other hard-to-reach places. aging fabrics, do these things: Vacuum-cleaning is the best way to (1) Practice good housekeeping con- remove lint and hair from hard-to-reach stantly. places. Use the radiator-cleaning attach- (2) Protect clothing and household ment of the cleaner. furnishings from insect-feeding damage. To clean rugs, carpets, drapes, and (3) Kill insects living in the struc- upholstered furniture, use the vacuum ture of the home, principally by surface cleaner or a brush. spraying. Clean rugs and carpets thoroughly and If your home is now free of infesta- frequently, and rotate them occasionally. tion, you can keep it that way by closely Rotation is important because insects following the first two of these lines of usually feed under heavy pieces of furni- effort; but to eliminate an infestation, ture, where cleaning is inconvenient, you must follow all three. rather than in the open, where regular If you must cope with a heavy or cleaning, light, and movement of people widespread infestation, you will do well keep down infestation. to obtain the services of a reputable After vacuum-cleaning, dispose of the pest-control firm. Such a firm has the sweepings promptly. They may contain equipment, materials, and experience larvae, eggs, or adult insects. If you leave necessary to handle a difficult control job. sweepings in the cleaner, you may trans- fer an infestation from one place in the Good housekeeping home to another. Woolen scraps or garments that lie for Certain elements of good housekeep- long periods on shelves, or in corners, ing have a specific bearing on control of boxes, or drawers, are often a source of fabric pests in the home. infestation. Store these things properly In cleaning, do a thorough job of re- or, if you do not want them, get rid of moving organic matter on which larvae them. feed. Besides depriving larvae of some of their food supply, you may, at the same time, remove insects and their eggs. Protective measures Clean often enough to prevent lint and hair from accumulating. Give close atten- There are a number of things you can tion to— do to protect fabrics and furs against Rugs and carpets ; insect-feeding damage. Some measures, Drapes and upholstered furniture ; such as dry-cleaning and the use of Closets, especially those in which crystals and flakes, kill the insects. Others woolens and furs are kept; do not; they keep the insects away or Radiators, and the surfaces behind cause fabrics to be resistant to insect them ; feeding. Clothing and Blankets (3) Pour EQ-53 into the first rinse water at the rate of 1 tablespoonful for EQ-53 FOR WASHABLE WOOLENS each pound of dry woolens.
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