Outdoor trapping and genetical characterization of populations of the webbing clothes moth Tineola bisselliella (Lepidoptera: Tineidae) in the broader area of Berlin

Abstract

Adapted and effective pest management strategies for the protection of irreplaceable culture heritage as well as for the prevention of damages in households and warehouses are based on reliable information about the presence and distribution of the pest organisms. Monitoring the webbing clothes moth Tineola bisselliella at thirteen outdoor stations in the broader area of Berlin give a first idea of their occurrence in an urban area and the hinterlands. The results demonstrate a seasonal abundance in the city and a missing of this species in the countryside. Data suggest a synanthropic occurrence of the webbing clothes moth rather than an invasion from natural reservoires. Possible molecular examinations on the species and subspecies level are presented to analyze the gene flow between populations and give an impression of species mobility as well as pathways of infestation.

Keywords

• infestation, monitoring, pheromone lures, synanthropy.