6 Insects that Eat Your Carpets and Clothes in Ireland

Carpet Beetles

Female carpet beetles look for hidden areas to lay their soft white eggs. These spots may include cracks in the furniture or flooring, your carpets, and even your clothes.

These eggs can hatch in just a matter of 8 to 15 days, and may even be faster during warmer months. To make things worse, a single female carpet beetle typically produces up to four generations in just a matter of one year.

But instead of the adult carpet beetles, the larvae are the culprit for the holes you see in your clothing and carpets. The larvae feed on natural fibres including feathers, mohair fur, and wool. They will therefore eat your carpets if they contain wool.

Clothes Moths

There may be over a million types of moths across the world but there are only two species that love chewing through clothing and carpets. These are the case-making clothes moth and the webbing clothes moth.

These moths both particularly love to feed on whatever is stored in your closet. They are also the culprits for those irreparable holes in your favourite sweaters.

Clothes moths tend to take a keen interest in fabrics that contain animal proteins, such as fur, leather, silk, and wool.

Sadly, these winged creatures will eat your carpets and clothing too. This is because the larvae of clothes moths love to snack on lint as well as other kinds of natural fibres.

The good news is that there are several ways to control these moths, such as moth crystals or mothballs. You can also consider using sealed containers to store your unused clothing.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are some of the most damaging pests you can ever find in a Dublin home. And in case you don’t know it yet, cockroaches don’t only pose risk to your health but can also damage your clothing.

Droppings of cockroaches can cause diseases like asthma and at the same time, stain clothing and other fabrics they encounter. These pests tend to be attracted to perspiration and body fluids, as well as drink or food spillage that might be left behind on fabrics.

While they are busy eating away at these leftovers, cockroaches may end up cutting holes into the clothing fibres, weakening them which can result in the appearance of pesky holes.

But while it might be unsettling to spot a single cockroach in your house, the damage they may bring about tends to be more alarming in more ways than one. Aside from triggering asthma, cockroaches can also carry bacteria that can cause Staph infections, food poisoning, and more.

Effective cockroach removal can be easily achieved with the use of baits and proper treatments for pest control Dublin. After the infestation, the pest control experts will also sanitize the area to ensure that the pesky pests won’t dare come back ever again.

Crickets

House Crickets may be an uncommon pest in Ireland but once they come into contact with clothing, they can still cause some serious problems. Even though crickets often prefer to live outdoors, their main sources of food tend to dry up later in the season. As a result, some crickets may decide to migrate into your home.

The moment they get inside, these insects may start chewing damaging holes in almost everything they find, from your fabric window coverings to your linens and carpets and even your clothing. Crickets can chew or eat both synthetic and natural fibres, specifically, articles soiled with grease, perspiration, and body fluids, as well as drink and food stains.

Crickets feast on these, cutting through the fabric threads, so they may also eat your carpets. Unfortunately, you might not easily spot the damage until you wear or wash your garment.

Firebrats

A relative of the silverfish, firebrats have a length of ¼ to ½ inch with a brown coat and a mottled silver appearance. These insects are less common in Ireland than silverfish. They tend to be more active at night, and they prefer warmer conditions at around 32 degrees Celsius.

The moment they find an ideal source of food, firebrats will stay near it. The insects particularly prefer rayon, cotton, linen, and other starched fabrics. They are also attracted to sugar-based or food stains.

Firebrats can cause irregular damage that can be identified with ease and often follows the outline of the stain.

Silverfish

Silverfish are wingless insects measuring ¼ to ½ inch with a carrot-like shape and a completely silver colour. These insects love the dark, and you can often find them in cooler spots with a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius.

Silverfish come out at night and they also make sure to be near their source of food. They particularly prefer food stains, perspiration, and body fluids on natural fibres like cotton and silk. They also cause irregular holes in clothing and other textiles.