Mysterious holes "chewed" in cotton t-shirts - what's causing this?!

travel_freak

Help pls!!

Have discovered millions of tiny holes in cotton t-shirts!! They're stored in seagrass baskets on shelves in the bedroom. The clothes are all ones used regularly, so in and out regularly for wear/washing and then put back in the baskets. Been away for a week, come back and discovered millions of little holes - really worried we have some nasty infestation!!

There was even one brand new item, still with label.

Please does anyone know what nasty blighter could be making these holes?!?

I've pulled the baskets out and had a look inside them and on the shelves where they sat and can't see anything mysterious - except for dust...

Hoping someone can throw some light on this....M&S are going to be doing well out of us for replacements....

Many thx in advance.

downs523

ive been told this could be moths. i have had similar problems wit a few of my jumpers/tshirts but not loads of holes just 3-8 per item, seems to be random with mine tho, i sometimes think its the washing machine that causes it

travel_freak

Oh my God!! Okay, if it is moths, how do you get rid of them please does anyone know? Also how can we be sure it is moths - are there any telltale signs? I couldn't see any deceased bodies lying around...yuk!!

Browntoa

these are normally the cause


carpet bugs

gmgmgm

travel_freak wrote: »

Oh my God!! Okay, if it is moths, how do you get rid of them please does anyone know? Also how can we be sure it is moths - are there any telltale signs? I couldn't see any deceased bodies lying around...yuk!!

To stop moths... use mothballs.

Cedar wood also dissuades them, which is why laundry rooms and hangers used to be generally made of cedar wood.

maninthestreet

I doubt whether moths could have done the damage described in the time interval of a week (and it's the middle of winter). Even the larvae of the carpet beetle would struggle to do that much damage in a week, and you would probably be able to see them. Can the OP upload a picture of the damage?

Mikeyorks

travel_freak wrote: »

Also how can we be sure it is moths - are there any telltale signs?

With that number of holes - in that space of time - they'd have been round you like a plague of locusts! More likely to be a type of carpet beetle .... but they do tend to prefer carpets and other woollen stuff. Often come into the house via new clothes - particularly something like a new wool coat?

But even carpet beetles would be going some to eat that much. And they do tend to stay low down and eat upwards under furniture and furniture legs and in dark areas such as inside wardrobes.

Must be some sign of larvae somewhere in the baskets / remainder of the T shirts? If not ...and it is only dust ... Rentokil profits are well down and they're looking for work? Pointless replacing stuff if you haven't bottomed the problem?

travel_freak

Hi

Thanks everyone for the replies.

I will try to upload a pic of one of the t-shirts in question, I'm not exaggerating - both back and front are covered in holes!

I did check the baskets quite carefully and underneath but couldn't see anything troublesome looking. There was a pile of dust behind but have hoovered that up.

Have bought some mothballs in case it is moths.

If it is carpet beetles what is the best way to treat it?

To be honest, we thought moths went for woollen items rather than cotton? It was so shocking we thought might it be mice but we have seen nothing, it's an upstairs/attic room and we have a cat so I'm sure mice wouldn't stand a chance. Plus no evidence of droppings or such like.

Very mysterious....

border_collie

Can you bang the basket hard in the bath to see if anything drops out?

Moth balls don't really prevent moths. Especially open storage like that.


All the baskets might need dunking in red hot water.

Meepster

It could be clothes moths, as the type of moths that eat clothing aren't your normal run of the mill moths that constantly fly into your lightbulbs, they are very, VERY tiny but wouldn't really explain the dust:

http://www.kendall-bioresearch.co.uk/domestmoth.htm

Get rid of them by boilwashing all the clothes, hoevering EVERYWHERE near by and then bleach all surfaces.

OR it could also be Silverfish, which would explain why you haven't seen much evidence, as they really dont like the light, but again, wouldn't explain the dust:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2108.html

Get rid of them using pesticides, only option really.

OR (final and most likely option) it could be carpet beetles, which again, you will rarely see, however, this does explain the dust, their feces (when feeding on clothes) looks like sawdust:

http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/homehort/pest/carpet.htm

To get rid of them, again boil wash all clothes, then put them into sealable bags along with some moth ball crystals (These crystals actually work a lot better against beetles than moths)

missile

I would bin the basket and get a wooden or metal laundry bin