194 HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



lengthen its home. This is done by additions to each end 

 of the case. On the outside the case appears to be com- 

 posed of fibers of the material upon which the larva has 

 been feeding, but inside the case is lined with a soft layer 

 of fine silk. By transferring the larva to different colored 

 materials a curiously parti-colored case may be obtained, 

 for the insect will use the various materials for the enlarge- 

 ments. 



The larva completes its growth by fall and seeks a 

 secluded place in which to secrete itself and spend the 

 winter in a torpid condition. The larvae have been ob- 

 served to leave the carpets upon which they were feeding 

 and drag their cases up a wall fifteen feet high and fasten 

 them to the ceiling. In the spring, the larvae transform 

 to pupae in the cases within which they have lived during 

 the winter. Apparently the pupal stage lasts about three 

 weeks. The moths do not survive long after depositing 

 their eggs. As a usual thing they shun daylight and 

 remain hidden in dark corners. 



The larva of the clothes moth, despite its secluded life, 

 more or less protected in a case, is sought out by certain 

 tiny but persistent parasites and killed. At least two of 

 these parasites have been reared from the larval cases of 

 this moth. They are Hyperacmiis tiniw Riley, Ms., and 

 Apanteles carpatus Say. 



THE WEBBING CLOTHES MOTH 



Tineola biselliella 



By some authorities, this species is considered more 

 common in the Southern states than in the North. It is 



