Both eat wool, both hide from the light, and both are treated the same way at the same price. But the larvae look nothing alike, and where you find them differs in a way that matters.
Look at the larva. Carpet moth larvae are smooth and cream, often with silk webbing or a small portable case. Carpet beetle larvae are brown, densely bristly, and leave shed skins that look like more larvae.
Both are treated the same way, at the same published price — £180 first room, £60 each additional. The identification still matters, because where you search differs.
| Carpet moth | Carpet beetle | |
|---|---|---|
| Larva | Smooth, cream, up to ~10mm | Brown, bristly, up to ~5mm |
| Webbing | Often silk tubes or a case | None |
| Shed skins | Less obvious | Very obvious — looks like more larvae |
| Adult | Small pale moth, ~6–8mm | Rounded mottled beetle, 2–4mm |
| Adult behaviour | Scuttles, avoids light, weak flier | Flies well, drawn to windows and light |
| Where adults are seen | Near the damage | Windowsills, often a floor above |
| Typical spread | Stays near the source | Distributed across a floor |
| Common hidden source | Stored wool, undisturbed carpet | Old birds' nests in roof spaces |
Not conclusive on its own, but useful alongside the larvae:
On clothing the distinction is clearer: beetle damage is typically several small separate holes, moth damage more often larger irregular areas.
This is the practically useful difference, because it changes where you search.
Tend to stay put. Adults are weak fliers, so the problem is usually where you found the damage and in directly adjoining carpet. Continuous carpet runs — hall, stairs, landing — are the classic spread.
Move around. Adults fly properly, are drawn to light and outdoor flowers, and distribute eggs across a whole floor. And the source is frequently not the carpet at all but an old bird's nest, dead bird or disused wasp nest in a roof space.
If you have a fabric pest problem across several upstairs rooms, look in the loft. That points at beetles, and it points at a source you would otherwise never treat.
See our complete service, published room prices and treatment information.
View Carpet Beetle Control Harrow Weald →Not the price, and not fundamentally the method. Both are treated at £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional room, targeting the carpet, edges and under-furniture areas where the larvae are.
What it changes is the search, and therefore the room count:
So tell us which you think you have, or send a photograph. It genuinely affects where we look.
Yes, and it is not rare. They eat the same materials and thrive in the same conditions, so a property with a long-standing wool carpet problem can support both.
This is another reason not to agonise over the identification: the treatment covers both. It matters for finding the source, not for choosing what to do.
Two things get blamed on fabric pests and are neither:
Find a larva and look at it against a plain background, ideally with a phone camera zoomed in:
| What you see | What it is |
|---|---|
| Smooth, cream, maybe in a silk tube | Carpet moth larva |
| Brown and obviously hairy or bristly | Carpet beetle larva |
| Bristly but empty and papery | Carpet beetle shed skin |
| Silk webbing across the damage | Carpet moth |
| Nothing but holes and debris | Could be either — check under furniture for larvae |
Both are treated throughout Harrow Weald HA3 at the same published room prices. If you are unsure which you have, send a photograph with your enquiry — it takes us seconds and saves you guessing.
Read nextCarpet Moth Control Harrow Weald →Neither, particularly. Beetles more often involve a hidden roof-space source, which makes them slightly more likely to recur if that source is missed.
Yes. Both feed on keratin, so wool, silk, cashmere, fur and feather are at risk from either.
Not for the treatment, which is the same. It matters for where you look — and we will work that out with you.
An old wasp nest in a loft feeds carpet beetles — and a live one is £90 fixed cost in Harrow Weald, guaranteed.
Moth larvae are smooth and cream, often with silk webbing. Beetle larvae are brown and densely bristly, and leave shed skins.
Somewhat. Moths tend to produce larger bare patches with webbing; beetles produce more scattered irregular holes with no webbing.
No. Both are £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional room.
Because it changes where to search. Beetle problems often have a roof-space source such as an old bird's nest; moth problems tend to stay near the damage.
Yes, and it is not rare — they eat the same materials and share the same conditions.
No. Carpet beetle larval hairs can cause an itchy rash in some people, which is not a bite.
Wear appears where people walk. Fabric-pest damage appears where they do not — under furniture, at edges, in corners.
Send a photograph with your enquiry. It settles it quickly and costs you nothing.
Send a photograph with your enquiry. Both are treated at the same published prices, but knowing which changes where we look.
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