The Littleport Society volunteers work hard to acquire and maintain a collection and archive the village can be proud of for many years to come. When people are kind enough to donate items it is important that we look after them and that means making sure nothing eats the collection!
We have lots of textiles including beautiful christening gowns, dresses, woollen coats and jackets so we must be careful that moths and other insects don’t invade. The Littleport Society cares passionately for the natural environment but not so much for the Webbing Clothes Moth or its partner in crime the Case-Bearing Clothes Moth. Many of you will have experienced moth and insect damage in your own homes.
A common misconception is that it is the adult moths that fly around our homes munching through our pyjamas, jumpers and rugs, but this is not the case, as most adult moths do not eat at all. It is when the clothes moths are in their larval stage that they cause the most damage. Each female adult moth lays up to 250 eggs in dark, undisturbed places that are also a rich source of protein such as within layers of feathers and hair, or the folds of silk and wool textiles. Both the Webbing and Case-bearing clothes moth larvae will gorge themselves on the aforementioned materials in order to sustain their growth, so we have put special moth traps in place to monitor, if and when any of these pests arrive at The Barn.