caterpillars under the carpet

[Mark]

I need help in identifying some caterpillars I have found between the carpet and the floorboards down stairs.

I lifted the carpet in this corner to lay some new cabling for sockets and found a fair amount of silky material between floorboards and carpet. Within this silky material were about 2 dozen casts and about 10 bright yellow caterpillars with a dark brown bit at the rear. they are about 15mm long or

5/8 in old tongue.

Can anyone out there help in identifying them. If they are harmless then I'll leave them but I don't want them spreading to other areas of the room or other rooms of the house.

The area of the room concerned escapes a thorough hoovering due to it being the position of the computer and only gets a quick going over which made me think of carpet beetles but that's a negative.

[Mary Fisher]

It's very interesting that you don't mind keeping them - if harmless. I doubt that they're going to eat you!

We share our house with all sorts of wildlife, it's known as a menagerie, but I admit to not warming to clothes moth larvae in - well in anything. It's been largely resolved by taking up the carpets in most of the house and having hard floors but there are the chairs ...

The yellow flummoxes me, I've never seen larvae like that - indoors anyway.

Do tell us if you find out.

Mary>

[Kay]

Sounds like house moths, several different species though. Have any bare patches appeared on your carpets?

Lift carpet as much as possible all the way round the edges, vacuum thoroughly then apply crawling insect (ant) killer or a light dusting of ant powder and replace the carpet. Good idea to check all the other rooms as well.

[Zymurgy]

"Mark" wrote

You'd better hope these aren't Indian Meal moth larvae. These are thready and whitish but are about 15mm long with a brown head. Usually found in dry foodstuffs & in warm climates.

Clear them out, completely, now.

Cheers,

Paul.