What is this moth (Tineola bisselliella)? incl. 4 small images (0/1)

CraiginNJ ~UseNameForPrefix~ at att.net
Tue May 11 17:16:02 EDT 1999


What is the moth & larva in the attached .gif images?
It looks like a webbing clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella?)
but the color pattern seems different.  Here's some other info:

a.  These were found in my condo in northern New Jersey.
     They first appeared in January of this year.

b.  No wool or silk clothes have been eaten by them.
      They seem to have been living on dust balls that
      collect under furniture and along baseboards
      (i.e., dust, shed body hair, etc.)

c.  So far evidence of webbing and larve have only been
      found along baseboards in closets or behind furniture
      where they've found dustballs; no evidence of them 
      has been found above floor level or on clothes, except
      for flying adults.

d.  They seem totally unaffected by pyrethrin or
     Off! Moth Proofer (a repellent for clothes moths).
     Direct application of mint oil or tralomethrin
     does kill larve, but I suspect these don't have
     a significant residual effect on later pedestrian larve
     since new adult months appear almost every day
     (and I can't find any remaining nesting locations).

e.  It's hard to see and I haven't found a live larva for
     a while (just moths lately), but I think the larve seem
     to have a couple of short bristle hairs one end.  The 
     larva image I've attached is only an empty skin,
     so it probably isn't noticable.

f.  The larve seem to be creamy colored with brown
     rings around their body.  I've seen a couple that
     have had black rings instead.

g.  The moths are between 3/8 inch and 1/4 inch long.
     The larger ones seem stronger & more lively, and
     darker in color.  The smaller ones used to seem
     more frequent, but lately I've seen about the same
     number of each.

I'm very eager to end this infestation somehow, even
though I haven't seen any damage from them.

Any ideas on what they are, how I can find their hidden
nests, and how I can stop them even if I can't find their
hidden nests?

Craig
CraiginNJ
 -take#this$part&out- @att.net



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