Moth Larvae in Bathroom - Ask Extension
The past week we have seen 3 larvae crawling in our bathroom shower which I believe are from moths. (See picture) We have some wool clothes in our clo...
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Moth Larvae in Bathroom #818157
Asked January 05, 2023, 10:05 PM EST
The past week we have seen 3 larvae crawling in our bathroom shower which I believe are from moths. (See picture) We have some wool clothes in our closet, which is about 8 feet from the bathroom, but we have cedar rings around the hangars and cedar pieces in some pockets. In the past, we have had occasionally had moths infest some of our food downstairs in the kitchen (grains mostly), but we usually see adults flying around in the kitchen, which tips us off to their presence. We haven't seen any moths flying around in the house recently. Where are these coming from? Why are they in our shower? How do we get rid of them?
Thank you!
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
Although we can't see enough detail in the photo (and admittedly it would be hard to get a very clear image of the larva), clothes moth larvae are a possibility, especially since you mention the woolen items nearby. If any throw rugs in the bathroom are wool, or if there's a linen closet in the room that stores blankets or any other animal-fiber materials (fur, silk, feathers/down, leather), that might be the reason the larvae are in that room. Is there an attic access door nearby or items stored in an attic that could be supporting them? Animal nests (or dead animals) in crawl spaces, attics, or other voids can also harbor larvae, as can animal hair (like pet hair) trapped in air ducts and vents. A Univ. of Kentucky web page, linked at the bottom of our clothes moth web page, provides lots of detail about where to look and how to manage this pest. (The same is true for the Indian Meal Moth / Pantry Moth page, in case more information on those pests would be useful.) Pheromone traps for either moth species may help to detect a population before adult moths become evident.
For now, none of these pests should require insecticide intervention (nor would a treatment be very effective without a better idea of where they are coming from and what is sustaining them), and as with the majority of indoor pests, sanitation is the best approach to management. Usually this entails thorough vacuuming or laundering, though we grant you it's hard to know where to start if you don't see any signs of damage to objects/fabrics or any adult moths or more crawling larvae to track. Sealing any gaps/cracks that allow the insects to move from indoor to outdoor (or void) spaces may also help limit their access to potential food sources.
Worst-case, if the insects keep appearing and the source cannot be located, having larvae examined by an experienced pest control professional (some companies have entomologists on staff, or to whom they can send samples) may reveal which exact species this is and therefore where to focus eradication efforts.
Miri
For now, none of these pests should require insecticide intervention (nor would a treatment be very effective without a better idea of where they are coming from and what is sustaining them), and as with the majority of indoor pests, sanitation is the best approach to management. Usually this entails thorough vacuuming or laundering, though we grant you it's hard to know where to start if you don't see any signs of damage to objects/fabrics or any adult moths or more crawling larvae to track. Sealing any gaps/cracks that allow the insects to move from indoor to outdoor (or void) spaces may also help limit their access to potential food sources.
Worst-case, if the insects keep appearing and the source cannot be located, having larvae examined by an experienced pest control professional (some companies have entomologists on staff, or to whom they can send samples) may reveal which exact species this is and therefore where to focus eradication efforts.
Miri
Thank you for your information! I will follow your suggestions. Meanwhile, here is a brief video I took which may assist in identifying the larva.
thanks again!
Jim
You're welcome.
Unfortunately, video files are not accepted by this platform, only JPG, PNG, or GIF images, so we can't view the video. The ID of many insect larvae often requires the use of a microscope to examine fine details, so using a professional pest control lab may be the simplest way of making a family, genus, or species-level ID without an adult insect.
Miri
Unfortunately, video files are not accepted by this platform, only JPG, PNG, or GIF images, so we can't view the video. The ID of many insect larvae often requires the use of a microscope to examine fine details, so using a professional pest control lab may be the simplest way of making a family, genus, or species-level ID without an adult insect.
Miri
