{"id":2862,"date":"2012-03-09T17:27:45","date_gmt":"2012-03-09T22:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/home-and-garden-ipm\/?page_id=2862"},"modified":"2025-10-16T16:53:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T20:53:48","slug":"clothes-moths","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/home-and-garden-ipm\/fact-sheets\/common-name-listing\/clothes-moths\/","title":{"rendered":"Clothes Moths \/ Fungus Moths"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Clothes-Moths\"<\/a>
Casemaking Clothes Moth (Tinea pellionella<\/i>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clothes moths<\/strong>, of which there are two common species (the Common\/Webbing Clothes Moth<\/strong> and the Casemaking Clothes Moth<\/strong>), belong to the family Tineidae. They are small, and hold their wings roof-like over their body when at rest. Both of these species have adapted to feeding (in the caterpillar stage) on stored fabrics, especially wool, but many other natural fibers are at risk as well.\u00a0 They are considered a serious pest because of the amount of damage they can cause due to their larval feeding.<\/p>\n

\"Brown-dotted<\/a>
Jean Hoffman<\/span>Brown-dotted Clothes Moths \/ European House Moths (Niditinea fuscella<\/i>) (they do not feed on clothing or fabrics; captured on a pheromone trap intended for fabric-damaging clothes moths; Peaks Island, ME; 6\/28\/2024) (Photo courtesy of Jean Hoffman)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The family name of Tineidae is often labeled as “clothes moths” but another apt label for the family is “fungus moths”<\/strong> because the majority of the 3000+ species in 300 genera feed only<\/em> on fungi, lichens, and detritus.\u00a0 Some species will also feed on stored grains.\u00a0 At least three species in the Nemapogon<\/em> genus, for example, feed on shelf fungi as well as stored grains and possibly stored produce, rather than on clothing or animal furs; they are: N. cloacella<\/i>, N. variatella and N. granella, <\/i>the latter of which is known as the European Grain Moth or sometimes, “Corn Moth.”\u00a0 All three of those species are native to Europe but are now found in North America; they are believed to have been accidentally introduced.\u00a0 It is worth noting that occasionally people (including people in Maine) will catch Nemapogon<\/em> and\/or Niditinea<\/em> moths indoors in the commercial clothes moth pheromone traps.\u00a0 One can see an example of that fact in the photo at left.\u00a0 Moths in those two groups are generally darker with wings that are very intricately patterned. More examples can be found in the corresponding links below at the BugGuide.net website.<\/p>\n

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Additional Information:<\/strong><\/h3>\n