What Do Moths Eat? Nectar, Dung and Your Favorite Sweater

If you’ve ever opened your sweater drawer or pantry and found little holes or suspicious webs, you’ve probably wondered, "What do moths eat? Anything besides my favorite clothes?" Turns out, it’s not the adult moths doing the damage. It’s their hungry little offspring, the moth larvae.

While some moth species sip flower nectar, others — especially their caterpillar-stage kids — go all in on munching natural fibers, grain products and even dried fruit.

With more than 160,000 species worldwide, moths are anything but one-size-fits-all when it comes to their diet.

Most Moths Eat as Larvae, Not Adults

In the moth life cycle, the larval stage (when the moth is a caterpillar) is when the real eating happens. Think of it like the teenage phase: nonstop snacking to fuel rapid growth.

During this time, moth larvae will eat:

Plant material like leaves, stems and seeds
Rotting fruits and veggies
Animal dung or bird droppings, depending on the species

Once they’ve had their fill, the caterpillars form cocoons and transform into winged adults.

But here’s the twist: Adult moths of many species don’t eat at all. They use up the energy stored as caterpillars and focus on finding mates and laying eggs. Some adults, like those in the Saturniidae family, don’t even have functional mouths.

That said, a few adult-stage moths do drink nectar, pollinating food plants along the way.

What Pantry Moths Eat (and Why They’re in Your Cereal)

If your kitchen’s turned into an all-you-can-eat buffet for fluttery guests, you might have a pantry moth infestation. These bugs — like the Indianmeal moth, Mediterranean pantry moth or almond moth — lay their eggs in stored foods. When the larvae hatch, they feast on:

Dried pasta
Grain products
Dried fruit
Pet food

Yup, they can even get into kibble bags. You’ll find the larvae crawling around in pantry shelves, leaving silky webbing and contaminated food in their wake.

And despite the name, the Mediterranean flour moth can go after more than just flour; pretty much anything dry and edible is fair game.

Clothes Moths Love Your Wool Sweaters

Moths on wool sweater — These adult moths aren't the ones you need to protect your wardrobe from. Jeffrey Coolidge / Getty Images

Not all moths go for your pantry; some aim for your wardrobe. Clothing moths — like the common clothes moth (aka webbing clothes moth) and casemaking clothes moth — lay eggs in dark, undisturbed places with plenty of natural fibers. When the larvae hatch, they nibble on:

Wool
Silk
Fur
Occasionally even pet fur or feathers

Clothes moths don’t actually eat synthetic materials, but if synthetic fabrics are blended with natural ones — or have traces of sweat, food or oils — they might still be on the menu.

The brown house moth and white shouldered house moth are other common invaders. These two insects can also damage fabrics, especially if they find their way into closets and boxes during their few months as active adults.

Moth Moms Lay Eggs With Purpose

Mother moths are strategic. Whether she’s a mother moth in a pantry, closet or forest, she’ll lay eggs right next to a prime food source. That way, when her babies hatch, they don’t have to travel far to eat.

Depending on the types of moths, those eggs might end up on flour, sweaters or leaves. And once they’re hatched, they waste no time getting down to business, eating their way through whatever they landed on.

How to Eliminate Moths

If moths eat your food or clothes, it’s time to act. You can kill moths and stop their life cycle with a few targeted steps:

Clean and vacuum infested areas thoroughly.
Store clothes in sealed containers, especially items made from natural fibers.
Use dry ice or cold treatments to kill moth eggs in stored items.
Remove contaminated food and scrub down pantry shelves.
Use traps specific to flour moths, clothes moths or grain moths.

A magnifying glass can help you spot the eggs — tiny but mighty — before they wreak havoc.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.