It’s jumper season, and many of us are rediscovering our woollies after months in storage, hoping we won’t find that our favourite sweater has been munched through by moths just as the weather turns crisp.
Ireland is home to around 1,500 species of moth, but only two are known to feast on our clothes: the aptly named common clothes moth, and the case-bearing clothes moth. The latter gets its name from the small case its larvae spin from silk and fibres stolen from hats and jumpers, creating a multi-coloured protective shell.
The larvae are after keratin, a protein found in natural fibres. Wool, silk, and other animal-derived materials are a rich source.
In the wild, moths are nature’s recyclers, helping to break down animal remains, bird nests, fur in mammal dens, and even Barn Owl pellets, which contain regurgitated remains.
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