Pantry moths (Indianmeal moths) are about twice the size of clothes moths at rest, fly around the house in a fairly straight line and are drawn to lights. Clothes moths are about 1/4 inch at rest, golden or brownish, flutter weakly, avoid light and stay near dark closets. Pantry moth larvae eat dry food; clothes moth larvae eat wool, fur, carpets and rugs. UC IPMās tip: clothes moths have small tufts of hair on their heads, food moths donāt.
Side by Side
Pantry moth
- Size at rest
- About twice a clothes moth
- Wings
- Whitish-gray near the body, coppery with dark bands
- Flight
- Around the house, straighter path
- Light
- Often drawn to lights
- Larvae eat
- Grains, flour, cereal, nuts, dried fruit, pet food
Clothes moth
- Size at rest
- About 1/4 inch
- Wings
- Gold or brownish, head with hair tufts
- Flight
- Weak, fluttering, stays close
- Light
- Not attracted, hides in the dark
- Larvae eat
- Wool, fur, carpets, rugs, wool felt
Where You See Them Says a Lot
A moth flying around the kitchen light in the evening is very likely a pantry moth: University of Illinois Extension notes that pantry pests are often drawn to lights and can be found away from the food. UC IPM says clothes moths are weak flyers that āarenāt attracted to lights,ā so theyāre usually found close to what theyāre eating, like a dark closet, and they hide when disturbed. Its description of their flight: they ātend to flutter about rather than fly in a direct, steady manner.ā
A Closer Look
Size: UC IPM says clothes moths are about 1/4 inch long at rest, while food-infesting moths are roughly twice that.
Color: the webbing clothes moth is āgold with reddish-golden hairs on the top of its headā (UC IPM); the casemaking clothes moth has browner wings with faint dark spots. The Indianmeal moth has wings that are whitish-gray near the body and coppery with dark stripes on the rest (Illinois).
The head test: UC IPM says clothes moths have small tufts of hair on their heads, which food moths lack. To be sure, catch one and look at the head with a magnifying glass.
Do Pantry Moths Eat Clothes?
No. Pantry moth larvae live in food: UC IPM lists cereal products, flour, rice, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate and candy, and Illinois adds pasta, oatmeal, birdseed and dry pet food. Fabric damage comes from clothes moths, whose larvae feed on wool clothing, carpets and rugs, upholstered furniture, furs and other animal-based materials. UC IPM says clothes moths only feed on synthetic or cotton blends if they contain wool, and that stained fabrics are more likely to be damaged.
What to Do for Each
Pantry moths: find and remove the infested food, check every package, vacuum and wash the shelves, and store dry food in tight containers. The full plan: how to get rid of pantry moths.
Clothes moths: UC IPM recommends cleaning and treating the items themselves:
- washing for 20 to 30 minutes in water of at least 120Ā°F, which kills all stages, or dry cleaning items that canāt be washed hot,
- sealing an item in a plastic bag and freezing it for several days below 18Ā°F,
- vacuuming closets and seldom-cleaned areas, and emptying the vacuum promptly,
- pheromone traps to detect them, combined with cleaning.
A pantry moth trap is made for Indianmeal moths, so pick a trap made for the moth you actually have (my advice; more in do pantry moth traps work?).
Safety Notes
- Donāt use closet moth products in the kitchen. Mothballs and closet sprays are made for fabrics, not food areas (my advice). UC IPM says insecticides arenāt recommended for any pantry pests, and Illinois says food that touches an insecticide must be thrown away.
- Keep food in the kitchen and clothes in the closet while you sort it out, so one problem doesnāt hide inside the other (my advice).
- Follow the label of any trap or product, and keep sticky traps out of reach of kids and pets (my advice).
Still Not Sure Which Moth?
How can I tell a pantry moth from a clothes moth?
Pantry moths are bigger, fly around the house and toward lights, and have whitish-gray and copper wings. Clothes moths are about 1/4 inch at rest, golden or brownish, flutter weakly, avoid light and have hair tufts on their heads.
Will pantry moths eat my clothes?
No. Pantry moth larvae eat dry food like grains, flour, cereal, nuts and dried fruit. Holes in wool, fur or wool rugs usually point to clothes moths.
Why do I have small moths in my house?
Small moths near the kitchen and lights are usually pantry moths coming from infested food. Small moths in a dark closet that flutter and hide are more likely clothes moths.
Do clothes moth traps work on pantry moths?
Traps are made for a specific moth. For moths in food, use a trap made for pantry or Indianmeal moths, and remove the infested food.
Sources & Transparency
Clothes moth size, color, flight, light, hair tufts, the comparison with food moths, what larvae eat and how to treat items: UC IPM Pest Notes: Clothes Moths (Publication 7435, D.H. Choe). Pantry moth foods and insecticides: UC IPM Pest Notes: Pantry Pests. Indianmeal moth wings, lights and foods: University of Illinois Extension, āPantry Pestsā. Tips marked as mine are my own advice.
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