Terry - It's difficult to determine from the photos; it could be a webbing or case-making clothes moth cocoon. I would guess it to be a webbing clothes moth cocoon from the fact the frass is stuck to the cocoon by webbing and the bits of fabric are woven into the cocoon.
Most of the time the case-making clothes moth simply closes off both ends of its case and pupates inside without attaching particles of fabric to the cocoon. The frass of the case-making clothes moth is not "webbed-up" and falls loosely from the object. The next determination is to figure out if it's active or an old cocoon. As disgusting as it sounds, squeeze the cocoon and see if you squash the pupa. If it's dry, then it's old. If it's an active case-making moth infestation, there will be other "cocoons" crawling around the fabric. The case-making moth larva makes a cocoon with both ends open, out of which the larva pokes its head to feed. The webbing clothes moth larva is a naked, cream-colored caterpillar with a dark brown head capsule. It spins and is encased in a silken tube as it feeds. The frass therefore becomes stuck to the webbing and everything looks very messy. Thomas A. Parker, PhD' President, Entomologist Pest Control Services, Inc. 469 Mimosa Circle Kennett Square, PA 19348 610-444-2277 Office 610-348-9890 Cell www.museumpestcontrol.com -----Original Message----- From: Terry Quinlan <[email protected]> To: pestlist <[email protected]> Sent: Fri, Feb 4, 2011 2:07 pm Subject: [pestlist] ood morning, I am posting this query on behalf of a colleague who has encountered what she elieves to be a case making clothes moth infestation within a textile ollection. I have attached three images in the hopes someone within the group ould confirm the presence of said pest. She has NOT located the pest itself, however the “cocoon” included in the images as located on the surface of a textile. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Terry Quinlan rofessor of Conservation pplied Museum Studies lgonquin College 385 Woodroffe Ave uilding C Room 230 ttawa, Ontario, Canada 2G 1V8 13.727.4723 extension 5060 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> log: AMS Conservation Department http://profconservation.wordpress.com/ acebook Group: Applied Museum Studies Conservation Department
