KEEPING LIFE COLOURFUL: PESTS
Pests are another source of colour damage. Among the most common are clothes moths, carpet beetles, silverfish, and rodents.
Clothes moths are attracted to protein fibres, and so are especially drawn to silk, wool, and feathers. An infestation might be identified through the evidence of white cocoons (or the remnants thereof) on the fibers, or sighting the insects themselves. They are roughly 8 centimetres long and white in colour.
Like clothes moths, carpet beetles are likewise drawn to proteins, and can be quite destructive. Evidence of an infestation may take the form of chewed holes, carcasses, or larvae, which appear as small pale worm-like insects.
Silverfish consume starch, usually found in sizing or other treatments applied to fabrics, as well as plant-based textiles such as linen and cotton. They are attracted to dark, moist climates. Silverfish prefer cooler temperatures. Both are about 12 millimetres in length and either light or dark in colouring, depending on which type is present.
Rodent infestations can be identified in the usual ways, such as seeing droppings, nests, or comparatively large chewed areas of textile where they have caused damage.
In all cases, chemical means of pest control should be very carefully made use of, not only due to possible harm to humans who come in contact with them, but because the chemicals may cause damage to the dye structure of the fabric.
Fecal deposits, urinary excretions, digestive juices found in saliva, will all cause colour damage especially on unprotected fabrics and carpets