Insects eat organic materials, leaving them damaged and weak. In some cases, the damage is obvious, such as holes in textiles. In other cases, you may have to inspect things carefully to find the damage.
The following table briefly outlines the insects that are likely to be a problem with fabrics, and the materials they are likely to feed on.
Apart from Silver fish (which have been dealt with separately), the two most significant pests of fabrics are the Case Bearing Clothes Moth and the Common or Webbing Clothes Moth

Both species were accidentally introduced to Australia.

Case-bearing Clothes Moth
This moth gets its name from the open-ended, protective silk case that the larvae live inside and carry around when feeding. Similarly to most moths, adult clothes moths generally avoid light and prefer the darkness of a wardrobe or drawer. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the adult moth, but the larvae that causes the damage. The adult moth is brown in colour; the body is about 1 cm long and a wingspan of about 1.5 cm. The adult will shun light.

The Caterpillar lives in a case covered in fibres from its food item. It feeds on anything containing keratin, such as wool, feathers, and even animal corpses. It grows to a length of about 1 cm. It pupates in its case, and then extrudes the pupa just before the adult moth emerges. The caterpillar can pass through gaps a small as 2mm and is capable of entering containers at first thought to be sealed.

Common Clothes Moth
Considered to be extremely destructive. Clothing damage occurs most commonly in dark, hidden areas, particularly under collars and cuffs, but sometimes the larvae are very active and may be seen crawling about on the clothing.
Adult moths have a wingspread of about 12 mm (the male is slightly smaller).The body is about 6mm long with wings folded and golden-yellow with a satiny sheen. The head has a tuft of reddish golden hairs. Eggs are oval, whitish, and at about 1mm long are difficult to see. Larvae are a shiny, creamy white with a brown head, up to 12mm long. The larvae spin long threads and construct tunnels of silk.

The female attaches about 40 to 50 eggs, singly or in groups of 2 or more, to the threads of infested clothes over a period of 2 to 3 weeks. She dies soon after.

TREATMENT
It is not wise to treat clothing with insecticides. Dry cleaning is a better option due to the heat involved. However a thorough search of the storage area must be carried out. Vacuuming of all the cracks and crevices is essential. Insecticidal dusts and a surface spray with a carbamate will usually produce satisfactory results. In severe cases, space spraying with a pyrethrin-based gas may be a preferable, additional option. Caution should be exercised when using mothballs! Inhalation of fumes in an enclosed area (bedroom, cupboard etc.) can be dangerous. The active ingredients, naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene (PDB) are relatively toxic.

Australian Spider Beetle Ptinus tectus	Attacks seeds, decaying moist foodstuffs, furs, woollens, rodent carcasses, rodent droppings, grain, bird nesting and grain based rodent baits and a wide range of other organic materials
Black Spider Beetle Mezium americanum	Known to attack animal skins, seeds, woollen carpets, furs, rodent carcasses, rodent droppings, tobacco, grain and grain based rodent baits.
Booklice Liposcelis bostrychophila	Booklice feed mostly on mould growing on old books or dead insects, but they can also damage the surface of materials.
Carpet beetles Anthrenus etc	Wool, fur, hair, feathers, silk, insect specimens, books and other products of animal origin, for example, horn.
Casemaking Clothes MothTinea pellionella	Woolens, felt, upholstered furniture, clothes
Cockroaches	Cockroaches will eat just about anything, including leather, hair, skins, paper and books. They also cause damage through regurgitation or by gluing their egg cases onto objects.
Drugstore BeetleStegobium *paniceum*	A wide variety of plant and animal based materials. biscuits, flour, fruits, nuts, spaghetti, spices, woollens, leather and grain based rodent baits.
Silverfish	Paper, fabrics—starched or stained material especially—cotton, linen, photographs, bookbindings and paste or sizes.
Smooth Spider Beetle Gibbium psylloides	Attacks seeds, decaying moist foodstuffs, furs, woollens, rodent carcasses, rodent droppings, grain and grain based rodent baits.
Webbing Clothes MothTineola bisselliella	Wool, fur, hair, silk, dead insects, horn and feathers.

This material is subject to copyright. No reproduction, copying, altering or transmission of the above information is permitted without the prior written consent of the copyright owner.