How to tell the Difference Between Clothes Moths and Carpet Beetles

Why Accurate Pest Diagnosis Matters

While both clothes moth and carpet beetle larvae target similar fabrics, the size and shape of their damage is very different. Carpet beetle larvae usually chew right through clothes to produce ragged, often larger holes or broad, threadbare patches. Clothes moth larvae begin by grazing the surface and leave finer, neater holes.

Clothes moths and carpet beetles are both textile pests, whose larvae eat animal fibres such as:

• Fur

• Silk

• Wool

• Feathers

• Leather

If you mistake one pest for another, you might accidentally declare a premature victory while the real culprit keeps nibbling fabric just out of sight.

Here are the main characteristics of clothes moths versus carpet beetles:

The signs	Clothes Moth (Tineola bisselliella)	Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus spp.)
The larvae that hide	Cream-coloured larvae, roughly 1 to 12 mm long	Brown, bristly larvae, roughly 3 to 8 mm long
The adults you’ll notice	Dull tan moths fluttering in dark corners	Mottled black-tan, pin-head beetles on sunny window frames
Damage pattern on fabrics	Irregular holes or thread-bare patches clustered in wool / silk-rich areas	Irregular bite holes at fabric edges
Lifecycle length	Larval stage 2 to 6 months (up to 12 in cool lofts), adults live for 2 to 4 weeks indoors	Larvae graze for 18 to 36 months, adults mate outdoors then return to lay eggs

Infestation Signs to Watch Out for

Clothes Moths

Female clothes moths gravitate toward undisturbed, dim corners with little airflow. After wafting in through an open window on a warm summer evening, they sense the slightly humid, undisturbed air of a wardrobe and deposit up to 200 eggs along the hidden seams of a wool blazer. At typical wardrobe temperatures, the eggs hatch in roughly one to three weeks, releasing larvae who are hungry for the keratin found in organic fibres. Because the larvae crawl only short distances each day, damage usually builds up in a single cupboard before creeping outward if left alone.

Carpet Beetles

By contrast, adult carpet beetles ride late spring thermals, land on blossoming hawthorn or spiraea, feed on pollen and then investigate roof vents, sash window gaps or loft eaves. Indoors they sniff out lint, mouse carcasses, forgotten bird nests or the felting beneath an old carpet. Eggs hatch in two weeks. Larvae can trundle unseen across timbers for years before pupating, timing their emergence for when the next flower crop is ready outside.

Remember: you might stop seeing pests in winter, but that doesn’t mean the infestation is over. Larvae may simply be biding their time, just out of sight.

Recognising the Damage in Real Life

Picture two identical wool carpets.

Under the sofa, one carpet shows pin-head holes and light fraying. Tug the pile and you might find fine silk strands that lift with the fibres. These are all giveaway signs of a clothes moth infestation.

Along the skirting board, the other carpet has round, scooped bites. Between carpet tufts, you’ll find pepper-fine frass and maybe even light brown molted carpet beetle skins.

Spot these textures under good lighting and you can plan treatment before adult insects even appear.

Building a Lifestyle-Driven Pest Control Strategy

A successful pest control strategy focuses on prevention, with a thoughtful and targeted approach to insecticidal treatments.

Step 1: Make Your Habitat Hostile to Pests

Clothes Moths thrive in:

• The dark
• Temperatures between 15 and 35 ºC
• Humidities on between 70% and 75%
• Near food sources
• Undisturbed locations

Carpet Beetles also like all of the above, with one addition: adult carpet beetles like to fly to light through open windows after mating on spring flowers.
By running a dehumidifier, keeping stored clothes in vacuum bags or tightly sealed containers, ensuring that cupboards and drawers aren’t overstuffed with clothes and keeping windows closed, carpet beetles and clothes moths won’t want to hang around for too long.

Step 2: Targeted Insecticidal Attack

For Clothes Moths

Once you’ve fully confirmed the infestation, lightly mist soft furnishings with NOPE! CP Clothes Moth Killer Spray at a rate of 25 to 50 ml per m². Let treated surfaces dry before you restock the space. For human bedding, pet bedding, pet sleeping areas or where pets frequently use, wash these areas with hot water thoroughly instead of using NOPE! Spray.

NOPE! CP Clothes Moth Killer can also be used as a space spray for empty wardrobes and drawers to tackle clothes moth where they hide.
Use in combination with NOPE! Clothes Moth Traps to monitor the infestation. A spike in male moth catches lets you know it’s time to consider preventative measures and a fresh application of NOPE! CP.

For Carpet Beetles

Spray NOPE! CP Carpet Beetle Killer Spray wherever you find beetles and larvae, at the same 25 to 50 ml per m² rate. As with Clothes Moth Spray, wash human bedding and pet-friendly areas thoroughly with hot water instead. Try to avoid vacuuming for at least 7 days to ensure the treatment effectively reaches the carpet beetle population.

In lofts, use a single NOPE! Insect Killer Smoke Bomb for every 38 m³ of void and secure the space as tightly as possible, ensuring that no people or pets remain in the room. The permethrin smoke penetrates deeply to reach all hidden stages of the carpet beetle lifecycle. If you find birds or bats nesting in your roof, stop and consult the RSPB guidance.

Finally, vacuum around all the window sills, where adult beetles like to gather, then empty the bag outdoors to prevent re-infestation.
Use these strategies in combination with preventative action to lower the chances of re-infestation.

For all Common Pests

When cockroaches, fleas, flies, bedbugs, moths, mosquitoes, gnats, spiders and other crawling or flying insects swarm whole rooms, deploy a NOPE! Bug Bomb Insect Killer Fogger. This one-shot aerosol treatment leaves zero residue. One 250 ml can treats up to 312.5 m³, bigger than a typical UK bedroom, so it is suitable for most size rooms.

Step 3: Further Control Methods

Hot-wash (for at least 30 minutes on a high heat setting) or deep-freeze (-18 °C for at least 72 hours) any affected smaller garments.

Even without a detected infestation, regularly:

• Regularly vacuum all around the house, including carpets, rugs and soft furnishings.
• Regularly beat cushions, rugs and wool throws outdoors to shake any larvae loose.
• Launder pet bedding for at least 30 minutes at a high heat setting.
• Empty the vacuum cylinder into a tightly secured bag and remove from the house immediately. Double-bag for extra security as vacuuming may not kill eggs or larvae.

Armed with these comparison and treatment tips, you should be able to take control before the next hungry larvae so much as sniffs your favourite jumper. If you’ve implemented all of the above and you still find yourself overrun, consider calling in the professionals. The British Pest Control Association can help you find a suitable pest controller.

For more information about clothes moths and carpet beetles in detail, catch up with our comprehensive guides: