The second most common type of clothes moth, though nowhere near as common as case the common clothes moth, is the case bearing clothes moth. These are not as popular in the United Kingdom but are much more common amongst the southern United States. Its feeding habits differ slightly to the more common moths in that whilst it does feed on hair and feathers, it also often feeds on spices, tobacco hemp and skins.

The name itself comes from the way that as a larvae, it spins a thin silken case around it’s body that it carries around with it wherever it goes. Made up of a similar substance to the feeding tube lines that all larvae leave behind, the larva sticks its head and legs out when attempting to move or feed. On occasions where there is a large infestation, the larvae may even attach itself to walls where it crawls up, carrying the case behind them as it does so.

By the time the adult case baring moths have reached their adulthood, they generally measure around half an inch when it comes to their wingspread. They are slightly smaller and a more darker brown than the common clothes moth although this is generally unnoticeable to the naked eye. However, one distinguishing feature that sets it apart from it’s more common relations is that it has three dark spots on it wings although it is not uncommon for these to fade as the wing scales begin to wear off. The male clothes moths are also slightly smaller as with other clothes moths, although again this is typically unnoticeable to the naked eye especially seen as the sizes vary. One way of separating between the two is that the females are quite lazy and will only fly from one spot to the next whereas the males are much more active and will often by flying around.

As with other moths, they hate strong smells and one of the best forms of moth protection is normal household smells such as lavender and clove both of which act as moth repellents due to their intense odor. You can purchase specific moth repellents but they work in a similar manner, providing protection from these moths through a strong odor which repels them.

Whilst the females only live for around 30 days, they can lay as many as 300 eggs in that time meaning that if you don’t detect them earlier, you will likely have an infestation on your hands within just a couple of weeks. The larva stage of the moths lifecycle lasts around 50 days although this can often be more and the pupal stage is passed whilst it is in the case or cocoon. If the case that surrounds the larva is removed, the larva will almost certainly die. Similar to the larvae of other clothes moths, it is unlikely that it will spin a web around the material it is eating but rather will spin silken threads to the material it is eating on which would lead to it’s case.