[Paul Simpson]

Done a job yesterday on a carpet 5-6 years old. Pulled out the television cabinet and behind at first glance it look like something had been spilt but on closer inspection it was the backing of the carpet that could be seen.
Immediately showed the customer and on further inspection found lots of what looked like white slithers of paper and assumed that was all they were but after looking closer I could see one or two of them moving ever so slightly. These things had obviously eaten the carpet fibre but only in that one corner. There were small holes in the wall in that corner to the outside for aerial & sky cables and I'm assuming something may have got in through these?
Anyone seen anything like this before and if so know what they are?
Have had a quick look online but couldn't see any pictures of anything that looked like them, closest was "clothes moth cases"
Obviously never come acorss anything like this before myself so I told the customer to contact her insurance company but it would be nice to go back to her with more information. 
 

[Dean Haywood]

Paul,
i would be suprised if the cust insurance will pay out, i have dealt with a number of customers who have had the problem with carpet beetle / moth where the larvea feed off the proteinin the natural fibres, wool & cotton, leaving only the carpet backing showing. The carpet will need to be treated with some form of insecticide.

i found this website fairly infomative, hope it helps.http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th8.htm

Dean

[Paul Simpson]

Thanks for the reply Dean.
I did mention to her she would probably need some sort of insecticide but she did seem convinced her household insurance would cover it.

[Nathanael Jones]

I've never seen the insects themselves, but i have seen the damage! A very good customer of mine has a rental property, and we clean between rentals. Last time we went to clean, a big square of carpet in the middle of the sitting room was worn down the the backing. Apparently the last tennants had a large coffee table, imported from africa, placed in this exact location, and the owner was convinced that's where the insects had come from. I suggested spraying an insectiside,.... but he wasn't too bothered. He put down a cheap laminate floor instead!!!