Both eat wool and both hide under furniture. The debris they leave is the giveaway — silken tubes for moths, bristly shed skins for beetles.
Look at the debris. Carpet moth larvae leave silken tubes and webbing; carpet beetle larvae leave hollow bristly shed skins.
And look at the holes. Beetle damage tends to be clean-edged and sharply defined; moth damage is more ragged and often has webbing attached.
| Carpet moth | Carpet beetle | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | 6–8mm, buff, runs and flutters low | 2–4mm, rounded, mottled, flies to light |
| Larva | Cream, smooth, up to 10mm | Brown, bristly, 4–5mm — woolly bear |
| Debris | Silken tubes and webbing | Hollow bristly shed skins |
| Holes | Ragged, often with webbing | Clean, sharply defined |
| Where adults gather | Low, along skirtings | Windowsills and light fittings |
| Usual source | Existing textiles in the house | Bird nest, chimney, carcass |
| Peak activity | Spring and late summer | Spring and early summer |
| Treatment | Room-based residual | Room-based residual plus source removal |
If it is on the windowsill, it is almost certainly beetle. Moths do not leave anything up there.
£180 for the first room, £60 for each additional. Published, up to four rooms.
View Carpet Beetle Control Pinner →| Carpet moth | Carpet beetle | |
|---|---|---|
| Most common route in | A second-hand rug, an inherited textile, stored woollens | A bird's nest in the roof or chimney |
| Also | Moving house with infested items | A carcass in a void or under a floor |
| Also | An untreated stored wool item | Old textiles left in a loft |
| Outdoor stage | None meaningful | Adults feed on pollen outside and fly in |
It happens more often than people expect, particularly in an older house with wool carpet, wool rugs, a loft that birds have used, and woollens stored in a cupboard for years. The treatment covers both — it is the source hunt that changes, and we will look either way.
Both are treated on the same published room ladder, with the follow-up visit included, so identification changes the method rather than the bill.
Yes. The residual treatment addresses both; the difference is in placement and in the source work.
Beetles are usually harder to clear permanently, because of the source. Moths do damage faster in the right conditions.
No. Beetle larval hairs can irritate skin, which is sometimes mistaken for bites.
Not an identification question at all — a wasp nest is £90 fixed in Pinner, guaranteed for 30 days.
Look at the debris. Moth larvae leave silken tubes and webbing; beetle larvae leave hollow bristly shed skins.
Beetle damage tends to be clean-edged and sharply defined. Moth damage is more ragged and often has webbing attached.
That is almost certainly beetle. Adult beetles fly to light and shed skins collect there. Moths leave nothing on a windowsill.
Beetles usually have a source outside the room — a nest, chimney or carcass — so a beetle job includes a source hunt that a moth job does not.
Yes, and it is not uncommon in an older house with wool carpet, wool rugs, a loft birds have used and woollens stored for years.
No. Both are treated on the same room ladder, £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional, with the follow-up included.
Beetles, usually, because of the external source. Moths can do damage faster in the right conditions.
No. Beetle larval hairs can irritate skin, which is sometimes mistaken for bites.
Photograph the debris and the damage. Silken tubes mean moth; bristly skins mean beetle.
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