They have a taste for fine art and will literally eat it.
When a moth infestation was discoveredrecently, several affected parts of the gallery had to be closed while extermination and a deep clean were conducted.
Former Dunedin City Council art conservator and collection manager Francois Leurquin said it was a potentially serious situation because the insects had been known to cause major damage to artworks.
Francois Leurquin examines equipment used to kill insects at the Otago Settlers Museum. Photo / Gerard O'Brien, File
Paintings and textile arts in particular made a tasty treat for both moths and their larvae, which could create large holes.
"Basically, they need the protein on the artwork — usually the silk or the wool — they need it to reproduce.
"They will chomp and eat the fibres. They eat holes, and as soon as they've done that, they lay their eggs in a fold then the cycle goes on and on.
