Where Carpet Moth Larvae Hide in Bracknell Properties

Under the Carpet, Not In It

The first place to look in a modern house, and the one most often missed.

Older felt underlay is made of animal fibre. It sits in permanent darkness, it is never disturbed, and it is a better food source than most carpets. Larvae can live in it indefinitely under a synthetic carpet that shows no damage whatsoever.

To check it, lift a corner in a wardrobe base or under a bed — somewhere the carpet is out of sight if the edge does not sit back perfectly. Look at the underlay itself and at the floorboards or screed beneath.

Fitted Wardrobes and Built-In Storage

Modern houses have a lot of it, and it creates exactly the conditions larvae want: dark, still, and containing wool.

• The base of the wardrobe, and the carpet if it runs underneath
• The back corners, behind whatever is stored there
• The shoulders of hanging wool coats and jackets
• Folded jumpers at the bottom of a stack
• Anything stored in there and not touched for a year

The Integral Garage

A common feature in this housing and a common site. It is cold, quiet, rarely swept, and it is where carpet offcuts, old rugs, camping gear, bedding and boxed textiles end up.

It also connects directly to the house, so a population there has an easy route in. If moths keep appearing in a hallway or a room next to the garage, that is where to look.

Under and Inside Furniture

• Divan beds, especially with drawers
• Under sofas and armchairs, and the hessian and webbing on the underside
• Natural fillings inside upholstery
• Under wardrobes, chests and anything heavy
• The carpet where a piece of furniture has stood for years

The Rest of the List

• The carpet edge against the skirting, all the way round
• Under rugs and on their undersides
• Stairs, at the outer ends of the treads
• The airing cupboard, among stored bedding
• Lofts, among boxed textiles
• Any room used less than the others

How to Search Efficiently

1. Start in the room where you have seen the most moths
2. Use a torch — larvae and their cases match whatever they are on
3. Move one heavy item and look at the floor AND the underside of the item
4. Lift a carpet corner somewhere it will not show
5. Work outwards to adjacent rooms, then to storage areas
6. Photograph what you find rather than clearing it away

Treatment starts from £220. Knowing which of these places the larvae are actually in is what makes a treatment work first time.