They are voracious. They can munch their way through almost anything. They may be lurking in your home unbeknownst to you. And they show no mercy when it comes to eating your most costly fashion items, chewing though Versace as readily as your Penneys bargains.

We are talking about the dreaded clothes moth, Tineola bisselliella, the creature that has ruined clothing since fabrics were first woven.

Most people can tell horror stories about that expensive silk number that the moths got, or the favourite sweater destroyed.

The pest control companies here do a regular trade in clearing out the moths, but by the time you know you have a problem you may have lost half a wardrobe’s worth of clothing. And once installed in your closets or carpets or chest of drawers it becomes notoriously difficult to clear them out.

While the clothes moth is the start of the problem, laying between 30 and 200 eggs at a time, in reality it is the larvae or caterpillars that emerge from these eggs that do the damage. The moths themselves do not eat anything; their only role is to mate, lay eggs and die; then the next generation of moths emerges.

This interregnum is when these little beasties run riot, creeping around your clothing and dining happily on whatever fabric might be on hand. They gobble up any natural fibre from wool to silk, cotton and linen, cashmere, fur and even feathers and hair.

It is difficult to imagine making a meal of an expensive tweed jacket but the caterpillars do so readily. Nor do they mind tucking into your nice expensive pure wool carpets. When the clothes moth shows up it begins to cost money.

They are also tough little beggars. Their most favoured conditions are a moderately warm environment of about 24 degrees and high humidity. The Irish weather this summer is delivering the humidity but not the warmth, but they can survive a wide range of temperatures from 10 degrees to 33 degrees.

They can also extend their lifespan – and in the process increase the level of damage to your clothing – if conditions are not right. In an ideal situation they can graduate out of their larval stage and into a cocoon in a month or two. But they can also keep the show on the road as a caterpillar for up to two years.

It is all about prevention if you want to avoid moth issues and there are a number of things that purportedly keep the moths at bay. Cedarwood rings that fit over hanger hooks is a favourite, with oils in the cedar working to make the moth look elsewhere for a home for its youngsters.

This was the idea behind mothballs, pungent nasty things that created smells that kept the moths away but also tended to stick to the clothing, making your friends choose seats at the next table.

Home-made moth repellent involving essential oils of lavender, cloves, eucalyptus and others are promoted but may not be enough to keep the moths out.

If you have space in the freezer, you can kill the larvae and adults off with an overnight stint at minus 18 degrees, or you can go to the other temperature extreme, ironing your clothing with moth and larval death a certainty.

You can reduce the risk of attracting moths by running the washing machine on a regular basis. The moths love dirty and damp clothing given they have fibres to eat plus salt left behind by perspiration, and moisture to help it all go down like sugar on medicine.

The hoover is a great ally when it comes to moths and larvae lurking on mattresses, in the carpets or the curtains, suggests exterminators Rentokil. It allows you to get into hidden corners where the larvae may be out of sight and you may pick up the stray adult.

The company also recommends keeping stored clothing and textiles in sealed plastic bags or suitcases. The washing machine is needed here too, making certain that anything going into storage has been cleaned, given this is another way to destroy adults and larvae.

The battle against the moth and its offspring extends through the calendar year given that our homes are kept warm winter and summer, so vigilance is necessary at any month of the year.

And if you do start to lose the fight, just phone your local pest control company who, like Ghost Busters, has the technology to tackle the problem.