Small moths living in your house come from one of two places: your pantry or your closet. Pantry moths (Indian meal moths) breed in dry food such as flour, cereal, birdseed and pet food. Clothes moths breed in wool, fur, silk and feathers. Where you see them tells you which: moths fluttering around the kitchen in the evening are pantry moths, while tiny golden moths near closets that hide from light are clothes moths. Bigger moths circling a porch light or lamp are outdoor moths that flew in, and they won’t breed indoors.
| Clue | Pantry moth (Indian meal moth) | Clothes moth |
|---|---|---|
| Where you see it | Kitchen and nearby rooms, often in the evening | Closets, wardrobes, under furniture |
| Size | About 1/2 inch wingspan; roughly twice the size of a clothes moth at rest | About 1/2 inch wingspan, 1/4 inch long at rest |
| Look | Front wings gray near the body, reddish-brown with a copper sheen on the outer two-thirds | Plain gold or buff, reddish-gold hair tuft on the head |
| Flight | Flies in a zigzag; may come to lights | Weak flier, flutters, avoids light |
| Larvae | Off-white to pinkish caterpillars up to 3/4 inch, leave webbing in food | Shiny white with a dark head, in wool and fur |
| Damage | Webbed, clumped dry food | Holes and bare patches in wool, fur and carpet |
Table of Contents
Where Do House Moths Come From?
Pantry moths usually arrive in food. Infestations are often traced to birdseed and dry pet food stored in bulk, but flour, cereals, nuts, dried fruit, spices and even chocolate can carry eggs or larvae from the store or warehouse. Larvae can chew through thin plastic packaging, so one infested package can spread to others nearby. Learn more in our guide to pantry moths.
Clothes moths come in on wool, fur and other animal-fiber items: secondhand clothes, vintage rugs, stored blankets, felt and even old brushes. Because they are weak fliers that avoid light, they rarely fly in from outside. They spread slowly through dark, undisturbed spots. See our clothes moth guide for more.
How to Identify House Moths
Indian meal moth (pantry moth)
The adult has a wingspan of about 1/2 inch. Its folded front wings are gray near the body and reddish-brown with a copper sheen on the outer two-thirds, a two-tone look that sets it apart. Adults fly erratically around the kitchen a few hours after sunset. The larvae are dirty white, sometimes pink or greenish-brown, up to about 3/4 inch long, and often crawl up walls and onto ceilings to pupate.
Webbing and casemaking clothes moths
Both are about 1/4 inch long at rest. The webbing clothes moth is plain gold with a tuft of reddish-gold hair on its head. The casemaking clothes moth is browner, with faint dark spots on the wings. Their larvae are shiny white with dark heads. Webbing clothes moth larvae leave silken tubes and mats of fiber and droppings on the fabric; casemaking larvae carry a small silk case that takes on the color of what they eat.
Not sure which species you have? See types of moths for more pictures.
What Attracts Moths Into the House?
- Dry food that sits unused: bulk birdseed, pet food, flour, grains and nuts stored for months.
- Animal fibers: wool, fur, silk, feathers and felt. Clothes moth larvae eat synthetics or cotton blends only when wool is mixed in.
- Dirty fabric: food, sweat and urine stains make clothes and rugs more attractive.
- Dark, undisturbed places: the back of closets, under heavy furniture, along baseboards and inside vents.
- Warm homes: heated buildings let clothes moths keep breeding through winter.
- Lights: these draw outdoor moths, not pantry or clothes moths.
Signs of a House Moth Problem
| Where | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Pantry | Webbing or clumps in flour, cereal and grains; small caterpillars or cocoons in corners of shelves, lids and ceiling edges; moths flying in the evening |
| Closet | Irregular holes, especially under collars and cuffs; silk tubes or mats on wool; small cases on fabric; fur clipped at the base |
| Rugs and furniture | Bare or grazed patches under furniture and along edges of wool rugs |
| Anywhere | Tiny moths that flutter and hide when disturbed |
What Do Moths Eat?
In household moths, only the larvae eat. Clothes moth larvae feed on wool, fur, silk, feathers and felt, and on cotton or synthetic blends only when wool is mixed in. Stained fabric attracts them most. Pantry moth larvae eat grains, flour, cereal, nuts, dried fruit, seeds, birdseed and pet food. Adult moths do no damage: many species don’t feed at all as adults, and others only sip nectar or other liquids.
How to Get Rid of House Moths
Pantry moths
- Check every dry food item and throw out anything with webbing, clumps or larvae, in an outside bin.
- Freeze foods you want to keep at 0°F for at least 3 days.
- Vacuum shelves, corners and cracks, then wipe them dry. Water can leave a sticky residue that attracts pests.
- Store dry food in airtight glass or hard plastic containers.
- Buy only what you will use in 2 to 4 months, and freeze new grain products for 3 days after purchase.
Clothes moths
- Wash infested items for 20 to 30 minutes in water of at least 120°F, or dry clean them.
- Freeze items that can’t be washed, sealed in plastic, below 18°F for several days.
- Vacuum closets, cracks, baseboards and under furniture, and empty the vacuum outside.
- Brush and sun woolens, paying attention to seams and folds.
- Store clean wool and fur in airtight containers or sealed garment bags. Cedar alone is unreliable.
Pheromone traps help you spot moths and catch males, but they don’t remove the larvae that do the damage. For the full step-by-step plan, see how to get rid of moths.
House moth essentials
- Pantry moth pheromone traps to find the problem area
- Clothes moth traps for closets
- Airtight food storage containers for flour, cereal and pet food
- Sealed garment bags for wool and fur
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FAQ
Small moths indoors almost always come from an infested food package or from wool, fur or other animal-fiber items. Pantry moths often arrive in birdseed, dry pet food, flour or grains, and clothes moths in secondhand or long-stored woolens. Larger moths around lights near doors are outdoor moths that flew in.
Pantry moths fly erratically in the kitchen and nearby rooms a few hours after sunset. Clothes moths stay near the infested closet, avoid light and flutter rather than fly. Moths circling lamps at night are usually outdoor species that got in through open doors or gaps in screens.
They don’t bite or sting. Pantry moth larvae ruin dry food with webbing and droppings, and clothes moth larvae eat holes in wool, fur, silk, feathers and carpets. Throw away infested food rather than eating it.
Adult moths don’t. The larvae of clothes moths do, feeding on wool, fur, silk, feathers and other animal fibers, and on synthetic or cotton blends only when they contain wool. Food, sweat and urine stains make fabric more attractive.
Check dry foods first, especially birdseed, pet food, flour, cereals, nuts and dried fruit, for webbing, clumps and larvae. Then check closets for wool and fur items, looking under collars, in folds and under furniture on wool rugs for silk tubes, cases and holes. Pheromone traps help show which room has the problem.