Is It Carpet Moth or Carpet Beetle?

Written by PestMan Editorial TeamTechnical review pendingPublished 13 October 2026Updated 13 October 2026

Quick answer

Both eat wool, silk, fur and feathers and leave similar holes. Carpet moth larvae are smooth and cream, and leave silk webbing or small silk cases. Carpet beetle larvae are small, hairy and bristly, leave no webbing, and shed brown skins as they grow. Adult carpet beetles are tiny round beetles often found on windowsills. Treatment for both is much the same.

Why this happens

Carpet beetles are small beetles whose larvae, sometimes called woolly bears, eat the same animal fibres as clothes moth larvae. Australia has introduced species and a native one, the Australian carpet beetle, which is a known pest of woollen carpets.

Telling them apart helps you find the source and know what you are looking for, but the treatment overlaps: remove the source, clean thoroughly, kill larvae in affected items with heat or cold, and store fabrics sealed.

What you may be seeing

Carpet moth: smooth, cream caterpillars; silk webbing, tunnels or flattened silk cases; small pale moths that flutter away from light.
Carpet beetle: small, hairy, brown or striped larvae up to about 5 mm; empty shed skins; no webbing; tiny round, mottled beetles on windowsills, often in spring.
Both: irregular holes in woollens and grazed patches in rugs, often under furniture.

What you can do

Collect a larva, cast skin or adult with sticky tape and compare it with the descriptions above.
Search for the source in the same places for both: under furniture, wardrobes, stored items, lint and pet hair, and the roof void for old nests.
Follow the steps in how to get rid of carpet moths; they work for carpet beetles too.
For carpet beetles, also check windowsills and nearby flowering plants, as adults feed on pollen outdoors and fly in.

When professional help may be needed

A pest manager can identify a specimen if you are unsure, and treat carpets and hiding places if either pest is widespread or keeps coming back.

Carpet Moths

Small, pale moths whose caterpillars eat wool, silk, fur and feathers. They chew holes in carpets, rugs, clothes and blankets, usually in dark, undisturbed places such as under furniture and inside wardrobes.

Species mentioned

Webbing Clothes Moth

Tineola bisselliella

The most common clothes and carpet moth in homes worldwide, including Australia. Its larvae eat wool, silk and fur under patches of silk webbing.

Case-bearing Clothes Moth

Tinea pellionella

A clothes moth whose larvae live inside a portable silk case made from the fibres they eat, so the case is often the same colour as the damaged fabric.

Guide

How to Pest-Proof Your Home

A practical, room-by-room approach to reducing pests without relying on chemicals: remove what attracts them, close the ways in, and make your property less comfortable for them.

Guide

Pest Prevention Checklist

A printable seasonal checklist of simple, low-cost tasks that reduce pests around Australian homes, with the reason behind each step and extra lists for renters, apartment residents, pet owners and Queenslander owners.

Common Pests in Brisbane

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Sources & further reading

Australian Museum — insects and spiders — Australian Museum
CSIRO — insect and pest research — CSIRO

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