Larvae in loft - identification & advice required

[littleIdiot]

Hi,

I started to clear my loft today in preperation for re-insulating it and spotted what look like larvae or chysalis up on the inside of the apex of the roof.

There are about 20 or so of them, 1,2 or 3 between each purlin (?). There are some empty, the empty remains of it still stuck to the wood.

They are about 3cm (1 inch) in length, cream coloured with brown markings, bulbous at one end and thiinning down to a point. Quite pretty little things really - but I imagine I don't really want them up there!

Untitled

• littleIdiot
• 15 Mar 2008
• 1

The black bit of my lense cap for scale.
You can also see a nail sticking out to the left of it.

Any ideas what these are?
Can I just vacuum them up to remove them?
Can I just leave them?!

 

[anobium]

Hi,

I started to clear my loft today in preperation for re-insulating it and spotted what look like larvae or chysalis up on the inside of the apex of the roof.

There are about 20 or so of them, 1,2 or 3 between each purlin (?). There are some empty, the empty remains of it still stuck to the wood.

They are about 3cm (1 inch) in length, cream coloured with brown markings, bulbous at one end and thiinning down to a point. Quite pretty little things really - but I imagine I don't really want them up there!

Untitled

• littleIdiot
• 15 Mar 2008
• 1

The black bit of my lense cap for scale.
You can also see a nail sticking out to the left of it.

Any ideas what these are?
Can I just vacuum them up to remove them?
Can I just leave them?!

They are not any type of woodworm that I know of, more than likely to be moths or something similar.
I would just vacuum them up.

 

[toadstooltomato]

They are definately not a wood boring insect. You may as well leave them where they are. It the least they will help encourage a polulation of spiders which are the main predators to the wood eaters.