“Is there a worm that can live off of fabrics as well as wooden structures?” asks this reader in his submission. “I’ve been seeing damage to wooden furniture as well as drywall and fabrics in our home. There’s also a dramatic increase in the quantity of dryer lint produced when I do laundry. Like I mean an extreme amount. Our clothing and bedding is riddled with holes and loose threads hanging down. There’s also strange markings on walls and ceilings (etc.) that I can’t explain. These weird fuzzy web looking things that appear to be growing out of the wall, I don’t know? Do we have some sort of house pest or is there something else contributing to these issues? I’ve been searching for answers and coming up empty. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.”

“Found these in our storeroom, mostly in and on a suitcase and on a box next to it”, writes Mark about the pink worm-like creatures pictured below. “They are about 1/2 an inch long. Many were in a white web-like cocoon. We are in the SF Bay Area. Do you know what they are? Thanks.” To start with, we want to thank Mark for the excellent photo he sent us. We can clearly see the creatures, as well as the webbing he describes. Based on this photo, as well as the context provided, we have identified these are clothes moth caterpillars. In particular, we think these could be webbing clothes moth caterpillars.