Fabric pest is a broad term for pests that love to munch on animal-based textiles, such as wool, leather and suede. These textiles contain keratin, which is an attractive food source for these pests, and as they munch their way through your sofas and carpets they leave holes and can cause significant and costly damage. Moths, carpet beetles and leather beetles are a few examples of fabric pests. If you suspect you have a fabric pest infestation it's best to act quickly, as these pests have quick breeding cycles and numbers can get out of hand.
Spotting Fabric Pests In Your Home
You often won't see fabric pests scurrying across your sofa, but if you take some time to inspect your home you will be able to spot tell-tale signs of an infestation. Look for tiny black droppings; shed skin and even legs or wings. Textiles in your home can be used as nesting sites and you may find small clumps of white or black eggs hidden in carpet pile. Fabric pests will also lay their eggs in dark areas of your home, such as underneath sofas and wardrobes. The larvae of many types of fabric pests is white and looks like a tiny caterpillar, but the larvae of the carpet beetle has brown stripes and tiny tufts of hair.
Clearing Your Home Of Fabric Pests
When you realise you have a pest problem, have a pest inspection carried out to determine the severity of the problem. The pest inspection company will recommend a course of action once they establish what pests are invading your home. They may recommend commercial-grade insecticide sprays to kill off the pests at each stage of their lifecycle. These products have been formulated to be effective without causing damage to your sofas and carpets. Heat treatment is another method that's effective against fabric pests. The temperature in your home is raised to the point that makes it impossible for fabric pests to survive, and dry heat is used to ensure the moisture level in your home is not raised during the treatment. The pest control company may also use equipment that creates an anaerobic atmosphere in your home, which makes the environment too hostile for fabric pets to survive in. This treatment, which uses modified atmosphere technology, utilises carbon dioxide to manipulate the levels of oxygen in your home temporarily.
Fabric pests won't leave your home of their own accord. Consult a local company to schedule pest inspection services.