The Rate Depends on Interruption, Not Time
A larva feeds for two to three months and eats very little on its own. Damage that anyone can see means several generations have run in the same place. So the question is really: what stops them?
- Being walked on — traffic genuinely suppresses it
- Vacuuming, which physically removes eggs, larvae and debris
- Light and air, neither of which they tolerate
- Furniture being moved, even occasionally
- Cooler temperatures, which stretch the larval stage out
A stack of storage removes all five at once. No traffic, no vacuum, no light, no air, nothing moved, and a warm bedroom. That is why the same house can have a spotless hall carpet and a bare patch the size of a dinner plate under a bed.
Rough Milestones
- Months 1-6: nothing visible. Feeding under the storage
- 6-12 months: a patch that would be obvious if the boxes came out. Occasional moths, usually dismissed
- 1-2 years: a clear bare area, and eggs laid in the next room along
- 2-3 years: more than one room, several patches, and the carpet may now be a replacement rather than a repair
Not a formula — houses differ. But the shape is consistent, and the point of it is that this is slow, slow, slow, then obvious.
What Makes It Faster in a Family House
- Consistent heating. A warm house runs generations back to back through the winter where a cool one pauses
- Soiled fibre. Larvae feed in preference on carpet with body oils, food traces and pet hair in it — and a child's bedroom floor has all three
- Storage that never moves
- Wool or wool-mix carpet rather than synthetic
- Old felt underlay underneath, which is a bigger meal than the pile above it
What Slows It, For Free
- Pull the under-bed storage out twice a year and vacuum the floor
- Vacuum the carpet edges, not just the middle, and empty outside
- Raise storage off the carpet where you can
- Move one heavy item every few weeks, rotating which
- Wash what can be washed, hot, and store woollens clean and sealed
Is Yours Still Growing?
- Photograph the patch with something for scale
- Mark the edge in pencil, or lay a line of pins
- Write the date on the photo
- Look again at four weeks and eight
- Growth past the mark means it is active. No growth, no fresh webbing and no live larvae means it is probably historic
Treatment starts from £220. The mark and the date cost nothing and they answer the question better than any estimate of rate.
Carpet moths in Wokingham? Pest Services Berkshire treats carpet moths from £220. Carpet Moth Control in Wokingham has the full detail, or call 0118 336 1366.