All types of clothes moths differ from other flying insects in that they are not attracted to the light at night and instead prefer to stay within dark, damp places. Whilst it prefers the moist atmosphere, its low humidity will simply slow their development - a problem that they are obviously not conscious of, as far as we are aware! It is their desire for moist surroundings that has been attributed with their decreasing numbers and as the use of central heating within homes has led to much drier conditions - contrary to the moths requirements. So our best form of moth protection has actually occurred unintentionally over recent years.

When it comes to laying their eggs, an adult moths primary function, it will often seek the safest location that will afford their offspring the best chance of survival. The eggs can often go unnoticed due to their tiny size (generally under 1mm long so barely visible to the naked eye) and are attached with a substance that is very similar to glue in it’s durability. Given that they are often placed under collars or cuffs, these eggs can be difficult to notice until they hatch and using moth repellents can often mean damaging your own clothing, unless you select the right form of moth protection.

As soon as they do hatch, they will start looking to feed on the fabrics instantly and can eat the necessary amount of time to prolong their life within the first two months however if they are unable to locate favorable conditions, they will just continuing feeding on and off for a much longer period of time, sometimes even several years. When they finally take on enough food, they will reach the stage where they spin themselves a cocoon within which it will evolve into an adult and pupate. As soon as they emerge their focus switches from finding food to finding a partner, mating and laying more eggs.

The moths are attracted primarily to clothing that is stained by foods, sweat, urine or other substances. However, the reason they are so attracted to this isn’t because of the food as many suspect but rather for the moisture that it cause. As the larvae, the stage of development where it consumes food, does not drink liquid, the moths try to place them in a position where they can get their liquids from their food. They do not like a lot of strong smells which is why moth repellents are so successful, although these moth repellents (with the possible exception of some moth repellents you can purchase) do not kill the larvae or moths but simply provide protection from the moths.

Their desire for darkness is such that when faced with a room with a high level of light intensity, the moths will try to relocate under furniture or in the corners at the edge of carpets meaning that another naturally occurring form of moth protection is sunlight.