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Post by joejoe on Jul 6, 2020 19:42:32 GMT -8
Hi everyone, I am new here, had to registered because these little wingy things are driving me crazy and was wondering if someone can please identify these for me since I can't find them.
So, for months I keep getting these little tiny gray moths(?) that come out at night. They mostly come out individially and not all at once, about 3-4 per night (yes every night!). They are usually easy to catch by hand, and once you do they sort of disintegrate. I have bought mothballs and these little things just don't disappear! I have searched all over and can't figure out what they are, but it does not appear to be pantry moths or clothes moth, they are something else I can't seem to identify. They are driving me crazy and I don't know what else to do. I live in Florida if that helps.
I would highly appreciate replies on this.
Pics below:
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Post by nomihoudai on Jul 6, 2020 20:05:57 GMT -8
It is really hard to tell from these pics. They remind me of moths in the family Bucculatricidae. It might also be a Tineidae, but it is not a Tineola (clothes moth). The Bucculatricidae are leaf miners and eat plants. It is really difficult as there is hundreds of species of micromoths worldwide. In any case only a handful of these eat clothes.
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Post by joejoe on Jul 6, 2020 21:20:39 GMT -8
Thank you for your reply. I still can't figure out which kind of moth it is exactly. Since they are small it is hard for the iPhone to pick a good amount of focus on it.
But they are gray with tiny black spots on them (if that helps).
If mothballs are not helping what would be the ideal way to get rid of them for good?
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Post by trehopr1 on Jul 7, 2020 9:52:31 GMT -8
Another possibility might be a "meal moth" or "flour moth". These are associated with dried food products such as dog food and flour. You may have some affected product in your home cupboard. The larvae feed on the product, pupate in it and then emerge and "wha-la"; you suddenly experience these little moths flying about your kitchen and home. I don't offhand recall the specific species names but, I feel confident in my hypothesis of what you may have. I once worked a an exterminator (for a year and half); so I encountered this issue on at least 3 occasions. If you find any affected product simply toss it out and no more moths...  |
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Post by nomihoudai on Jul 7, 2020 10:00:16 GMT -8
The grain feeding types are of family Pyralidae. It's not a Pyralidae.
Do you have your window open at times or doors? I guess they come in from the outside. In a month their season should stop and they will be gone. Moths are seasonal.
I might be wrong, but to me it does not look like any of the typical household pests.
The color markings only give part of the picture. The most important things to know are:
- length of antennae
- shape of wings
- do they rest on walls with heads up or down
- fluffy head?
I used to collect these microlepidoptera for fun. I had hundreds of species. But this was many years ago.
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Post by joejoe on Jul 7, 2020 11:00:17 GMT -8
Another possibility might be a "meal moth" or "flour moth". These are associated with dried food products such as dog food and flour. You may have some affected product in your home cupboard. The larvae feed on the product, pupate in it and then emerge and "wha-la"; you suddenly experience these little moths flying about your kitchen and home. I don't offhand recall the specific species names but, I feel confident in my hypothesis of what you may have. I once worked a an exterminator (for a year and half); so I encountered this issue on at least 3 occasions. If you find any affected product simply toss it out and no more moths... I don't have anything of that. They come out in my bedroom every single night. I tried comparing them to pantry moths and cloth moths but they don't resemble them. I can't for the life of me identify which moth this really is  |
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Post by joejoe on Jul 7, 2020 11:02:12 GMT -8
The grain feeding types are of family Pyralidae. It's not a Pyralidae. Do you have your window open at times or doors? I guess they come in from the outside. In a month their season should stop and they will be gone. Moths are seasonal. I might be wrong, but to me it does not look like any of the typical household pests. The color markings only give part of the picture. The most important things to know are: - length of antennae - shape of wings - do they rest on walls with heads up or down - fluffy head? I used to collect these microlepidoptera for fun. I had hundreds of species. But this was many years ago. - My windows are closed all the time. I have had them for months now, since April of this year.
I had blankets in my room that contained Polyester and decided to remove them just in case it was that that was attracting them but it's not that. I don't know where they are coming from but they make an appearance every night in my bedroom. I don't know what else to do! 
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Post by nomihoudai on Jul 7, 2020 11:57:13 GMT -8
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Post by joejoe on Jul 7, 2020 13:34:19 GMT -8
What's more frustrating is that I don't keep any sort of food in my bedroom, also any kind of fur material. Yet they keep coming out every night.
They look like the Hofmannophila pseudospretella from the top view but mine are gray/white-ish with tiny black spots.
This issue is going to make an expert on micromoths  |
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Post by joejoe on Jul 7, 2020 13:38:23 GMT -8
Will a Cedar spray help me with getting rid of them for good?
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Post by nomihoudai on Jul 7, 2020 14:37:53 GMT -8
No - find what they eat.
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Post by joejoe on Jul 7, 2020 14:49:11 GMT -8
How am I suppose to know what they eat? lol
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Post by trehopr1 on Jul 7, 2020 16:56:54 GMT -8
Another suggestion that I have is to check any carpeting you may have in the room as well as any visible activity in the curtains. Both are made from varied products however, each possess potential food sources. Remember the moths are harmless except for their egg laying. The larvae will leave signs of their feeding activity. Look for buckshot type holes in any curtain material. Also, look for carpeting which maybe very weak or even falling apart in any particular spot.
If you happen to have a fabric covered chair in the room for any reason this too could serve as a potential food source.
I think these are all helpful suggestions to consider as you try to figure out where they are coming from. I would say last but, not least recheck the closet(s) just in case you may have overlooked a garment which is the culprit.
Best wishes...
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Post by joejoe on Jul 7, 2020 18:16:20 GMT -8
Another suggestion that I have is to check any carpeting you may have in the room as well as any visible activity in the curtains. Both are made from varied products however, each possess potential food sources. Remember the moths are harmless except for their egg laying. The larvae will leave signs of their feeding activity. Look for buckshot type holes in any curtain material. Also, look for carpeting which maybe very weak or even falling apart in any particular spot. If you happen to have a fabric covered chair in the room for any reason this too could serve as a potential food source. I think these are all helpful suggestions to consider as you try to figure out where they are coming from. I would say last but, not least recheck the closet(s) just in case you may have overlooked a garment which is the culprit. Best wishes...
Thank you! I went ahead and bought cedar spray which I will apply on all my wood furniture. I didn't know larvae was attracted to wood, just assumed those were termites.
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Post by trehopr1 on Jul 7, 2020 19:18:38 GMT -8
Hello Joejoe, I did not mean to imply that any wood chairs or furniture would necessarily have larvae in the wood. My post indicated that you should check any fabric covered furniture because the problem may be in the fabric itself which covers the seating of the chairs or arms of the furniture.
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