From Doug Yanega Re: clothes moth paranoia

Anne Kilmer viceroy at gate.net
Mon Jul 20 11:37:48 EDT 1998


Liz Day wrote:
> 
> Neil,
> 
> Dermestids eat clothes too.  Sure it's not those?
> 
> Liz D.

Their style is different. Silverfish do it too. Again a different style. 
The moths that eat clothes come in two sorts: naked and clothed. The 
clothed ones knit themselves little sweaters from the fabric they are 
eating, and are often very attractive indeed. They are pretty 
undiscriminating, and will even eat dust bunnies. 
The nude ones do, as Neil describes, eat a hole in the fabric. What you 
do then, Neil, is darn it. With matching wool and a darning needle. 
If you are handy, you can embroider a little flower on it. I have many 
sweaters with little flowers embroidered on them. Clumsily. 
	Having done this, you then find that there are a great many more 
little holes you hadn't noticed. All this awaits me in my Irish house, 
unles somebody would care to go over and handle it for me. Feel free 
to collect any insects you find in that house.
	The frass is also charmingly multicolored, unless I am making 
that up. I might be. 
Anne Kilmer
South Florida


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