Bugs / moth that are attacking leather ?

[nicolas75]

Hello to all

I've been through an old 30's Mountain troops pair of boots

Along the sewing junction with the sole to the rest of the boots, there is some leather that seems to have been taken (chewed) off

Are you aware of bugs / moths or so on that "eat" leather

Thanks

[BEAST]

Mice? Moles? Cat with an attitude? (sorry, that was redundant)

 

The only common insects that i can think of that like leather are silverfish.  From Waltham Pest Services (

https://www.walthamservices.com/blog/silverfish-control/do-silverfish-eat-clothes/ 

Preferred Clothing Fabrics
When silverfish eat clothes, they demonstrate a preference for garments made of:

Cotton
Linen
Silk
Leather
Rayon

[Blacksmith]

My first thought was mice, but that looks like smaller critter damage.  

 

You might be right on your Silverfish theory Beast.

[Matt-M]

My guess would be silverfish also. They eat quite a varied diet of fibrous material.

[dskjl]

Hide Beatles Dermestidae used to get into our animal hide storage at the fly fishing shop.

[Thor996]

I hate insects.

[USARV72]

These work very well for getting rid of silverfish.

[stratasfan]

Silverfish are disgusting, terrible, creepy . . . we have had them, if you can't tell. I hat bugs, too. One thing . . . definitely check your gutters. We got ours because of clogged gutters that were pouring water into the cellar walls. When we get the gutters cleaned and they work . . . no silverfish. When they clog and don't work . . . silverfish. 

 

They look like itty-bitty tadpoles crawling. They don't like light, so surprise them by switching on a light in a dark room (bathrooms are common). They have lots of legs, but you can't see them unless the light hits them really bright.