Case-bearing Clothes Moth Larva

Natural Habitat

Indoors, especially in dark, undisturbed areas where animal-based fibers are stored, such as closets, attics, and storage containers. They prefer natural fibers like wool, fur, silk, and feathers.

Diet & Feeding

Keratin-based materials, including wool, fur, cashmere, silk, feathers, felt, and sometimes synthetic blends or soiled cotton. They are scavengers and prefer materials stained with food, sweat, or urine.

Behavior Patterns

The larva constructs a portable silken case incorporating fibers from its food source, which it carries with it wherever it goes. It feeds from both ends of this case, enlarging it as it grows. They are reclusive, avoiding light, and mature slowly over several months, depending on conditions. Adults are poor fliers and tend to run or hop, often found in dark corners or closets.

Risks & Benefits

Risks: Significant pests of stored textiles and museum collections, causing damage to clothing, carpets, upholstery, and furs, leading to economic loss. They do not bite or transmit diseases to humans. Benefits: "None" directly to humans in their pest form. In nature, their relatives play a role in decomposition, but "Tinea pellionella" is considered solely a pest in human environments.

Identified on: 9/22/2025