PestDecoderDecode a clue

Evidence guide

Webbing and silk

Silk that binds food, attaches to fibers or forms a geometric web points to very different candidates.

Record the clue before interpreting it

Photograph how the silk connects to food, fabric, a case or a fixed structure. Note trapped debris and larval material.

A useful record includes scale, shape, texture, placement and whether the material returns after a clean baseline is established. Avoid changing the scene merely to make identification easier.

What to note

  • Loose web versus attached tube
  • Food particles bound together
  • Fabric fibers clipped nearby
  • Spider architecture and prey remains
Handling boundary

Bag contaminated food or textiles before moving them through the home.

Read the full safety guide

Common candidates

These candidates are not ranked until location, scale, pattern, context and timing are added. Open a profile to see confirming and contradicting evidence.

low concern

Indianmeal moth

Plodia interpunctella

Silk-clumped food, webbing in package seams and a two-tone adult moth in kitchens or pantries.

Webbing and silkLarvae and grubsEggs and cases
Read evidence profile
low concern

Clothes moth

Tineola bisselliella and Tinea pellionella

Smooth pale larvae, attached silk cases or webbing and clipped natural fibers in dark garment folds.

Webbing and silkLarvae and grubsDamage and gnawing
Read evidence profile
low concern

Cellar spider

Pholcidae

Loose three-dimensional web with a very small body, extremely long legs and wrapped prey remains.

Webbing and silkEggs and cases
Read evidence profile

Comparisons that resolve common confusion

Side-by-side decision

Carpet beetle vs. clothes moth damage

Carpet beetles leave hairy skins; clothes moths leave attached silk, tubes or cases.

Textile pestTextile pest

Open comparison

Side-by-side decision

Clothes moth vs. pantry moth

The food source is decisive: clothes-moth silk stays with animal fibers; pantry-moth silk binds dry food.

Textile pestPantry pest

Open comparison

Side-by-side decision

Indianmeal moth vs. drugstore beetle

Indianmeal moths leave obvious webbing; drugstore beetles leave pinholes and fine product dust without silk.

Pantry pestPantry pest

Open comparison

Side-by-side decision

Cellar spider web vs. clothes moth silk

Cellar spiders suspend loose three-dimensional webs in open corners; clothes moth larvae keep silk against fibers, cases and feeding damage in dark storage.

SpiderTextile pest

Open comparison

Source basis