The bald patch behind the sofa is not wear. It is lunch.
Carpet moth work is really larvae work: the flying moths have already laid their eggs, and the grubs quietly chewing the base of your wool carpet are the problem. Wellington's older villas with original wool carpets are prime habitat. Treatment is a residual spray across every carpeted area, and the price is set by the size of the house, not the size of the patch.
Is this your stream?
Bald or thinning patches behind and under furniture, along skirting boards and at carpet edges, sometimes with tiny fibre cases that look like rolled bits of carpet. That is case-bearing clothes moth or carpet beetle larvae, and both are treated the same way: a residual spray across all carpeted areas.
Small round flight holes in floorboards or furniture are borer, a completely different job with different operators. And if the damage is only in stored clothing with no carpet damage, a wardrobe clean-out, hot wash and sealed storage may fix it without a spray at all.
What it costs in Wellington
The published local price
Combat Pest Control publishes $300 per dwelling for a carpet beetle and moth treatment, protection for 6 months or more, with a $30 multi-treatment discount. Plan to be out of the house for 5 hours after treatment starts.
The national guide band
An Auckland operator's guide puts professional fabric pest treatment at $175–$310. Treat it as a sanity band only: no other Wellington operator publishes a fabric pest price, so quotes land after an inspection.
The early-infestation route
Kiwicare's case moth guide covers the DIY version: vacuum hard, lift carpet edges, residual spray underneath and on top, monitor with traps, re-spray edges every 6 months. Suits a small, early catch.
Wellington providers, compared
Five operators that handle carpet moth and fabric pest work, grouped by what they are best at. Hover a row for the detail that matters.
Common mistakes
Spraying the flying moths and stopping there: the flying females have already laid their eggs, so killing adults does almost nothing, as every clothes moth guide points out. The larvae in the carpet are the damage.
Treating only the bald patch you can see: larvae work the undisturbed zones, behind and under furniture, along skirting boards and at carpet edges. Combat's treatment covers all carpeted areas for exactly this reason.
Confusing carpet moth with carpet beetle or borer: carpet beetle larvae are hairy woolly bears that leave shed skins, while case-bearing moth larvae drag a fibre case around like a snail shell. Borer is a timber pest and never touches carpet. Say what you are actually seeing when you book.
Vacuuming and hoping: vacuuming helps and is part of every professional prep list, but eggs glued deep in the pile survive it. Kiwicare's case moth guide pairs vacuuming with a residual spray for a reason.
Assuming one spray is forever: Kiwicare recommends a light spray around carpet edges every 6 months to prevent re-infestation. Combat's treatment is pitched at 6 months or more of protection for the same reason.
Forgetting the wardrobe and the rugs: the same moths eat wool knitwear, rugs and felt. Bag, seal, hot wash or freeze infested clothing while the carpet is treated, or the moths just move house.
FAQ
How much does carpet moth treatment cost in Wellington?
Combat Pest Control publishes $300 per dwelling for a carpet beetle and moth treatment, with protection for 6 months or more and a $30 discount when bundled with another treatment. It is the only Wellington operator we found publishing a fabric pest price. An Auckland operator's guide puts professional fabric pest treatment at $175–$310, which is a useful sanity band, not a Wellington quote. Everyone else quotes after seeing the house.
How do I tell carpet moth from carpet beetle or borer?
Case-bearing clothes moth larvae look like tiny rolled pieces of carpet with a brown head poking out one end, and the adults are small brown moths that gather in upper corners of rooms. Carpet beetle larvae are hairy woolly bears that leave shed skins. Borer attacks timber and leaves flight holes in wood, never in carpet. Damage from all the fabric pests looks similar: threadbare patches in low-traffic areas, under furniture and along edges.
What does a professional treatment involve?
The standard job is a residual insecticide spray across all carpeted areas, concentrated behind and under furniture where larvae hide, timed to last long enough to kill larvae as they hatch from eggs deep in the pile. Combat asks you to be out of the house for 5 hours after treatment starts. Heavily infested loose rugs may need removal, hot washing or freezing instead.
Can I treat carpet moth myself?
For a small, early infestation, yes. Kiwicare's case moth guide: vacuum thoroughly, lift carpet edges and spray underneath and on top with a residual product, then monitor with clothes moth traps and re-spray carpet edges every 6 months. If the damage is spreading across rooms or into wardrobes, that is past DIY and into professional territory.
How do I stop them coming back?
Vacuum under furniture and along carpet edges regularly, because undisturbed wool is the target. Strong sunlight kills clothes moths, so sun blankets and loose rugs. Store off-season woollens clean and sealed in bags. Keep pheromone traps out to catch a restart early, and keep the 6-month edge spray rhythm if your villa has had them before.
Combat publishes the only local price: $300 per dwelling, 6 months or more of protection. Pestproof runs a dedicated fabric pest service with a 99.4% NoCowboys approval record; Bug Doctor covers the wider region 7 days; Rentokil and Flick suit severe or whole-house infestations. Treat every carpeted room, not just the visible patch, and keep the 6-month edge spray rhythm in a wool-carpet villa.