The Case of the Case Bearing Moth Larva

Pictures taken from http://www.whatsthatbug.com/clothes.html

My greatest nemesis in the bedroom are those case bearing moth larva or sometimes called 'household casebearer' and 'plaster bagworm' (Phereoeca uterella). Although they are harmless, to humans anyway, I find them quite filthy with the sacks made up from the scrap that they feed on.

You can find them practically everywhere from sticking to the walls, in between the furniture and under the covers. When I first encountered this odd fusiform case I thought they were seedlings that must have flown in from the garden. Looking very much like pumpkin seeds they can be easily overlooked and ignored but it becomes obvious only when they begin to crawl away.

The female moth may lay up to 200 eggs within a week and they are deposited in all the crevices and slits in the walls and floors. The case is constructed even at the earlier stage of the first instar and gets enlarged as it grows. The pupation takes place in the same case which the larva attaches both ends with silk up on the wall.

Although I have an aversion to things slimy, squirmy and squishy I can't but help myself from admiring these amazing creatures. They are considered as pests since they feed on pet hair, clothes, furniture, carpet and other kinds of wastes.