What Do Moths Eat

A moths’ diet extends beyond nectar, the food they are most known for eating. For example, they consume many different types of liquids to gain energy for reproductive purposes. In general, their diet doesn’t sound particularly appetizing. Besides nectar, they mainly eat fruit that has decomposed, rotting animals, sap, and feces. Yum.

Because they forage for food at night, moths don’t find food based on its color. Instead, they use their keen sense of smell to help them locate food. One of the most notable differences between moths and butterflies is their antennae. The antennae of the moths are larger, which helps them to pick up scents. They often find flowers that bloom at night which have an intense smell. This draws the moths to them.

Clothes moths tend to eat items such as hair, fur, furniture, milk powder, and wool. This would explain why some of your sweaters may be punctured with holes. But that’s not all. They also consume animal products—leather and bristles, for example. Larvae, or young moths, will also eat paper, dust, and materials covered in oil. Clothes moths are also known to infest deceased insects, hair, and animal remnants that have dried out. Caterpillars make small holes in fabric—not moths—though the adult moths may be seen on the surface of clothing that has been damaged.