TINEOLA Bisselliella is her Sunday-best name and she likes nothing more than natural fibres, preferably dirty fabric at the back of granny's fusty wardrobe.

But the common clothing moth has left woolly jumpers behind and has put Scotland's largest civic art collection under serious threat, with several "deep cleans" already carried out to deal with the problem.

A report on Glasgow's cultural treasures details a raft of damage and incidents across the museums and galleries estate, including items stolen, damaged by the public or affected by poor building conditions.

Within Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, home to works by Dali, Old Masters, French Impressionists, Dutch Renaissance and Scottish Colourists, 12 moth incidents were recorded in the last financial year, with a further 10 objects on display damaged.

Moth incidents have also been recorded at the renowned Burrell Collection, while the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre, home to artefacts not on display, had three reports of pests, including insects and mice, potentially damaging the artefacts stored within the depot.

With the pesticide used in museums to kill insect pests for years banned after being found to be carcinogenic, there has been an explosion in clothing moths in the last few years,

According to the report, brought before the board of ­Glasgow Life, the charitable trust charged with running the city's civic treasures, "insect problems are on the increase in museums across the world and present us with a serious challenge".

It adds that Glasgow Museums has a policy on the management of insect pests which was approved on 13 August 2012. The report states: "The policy and associated guidelines have been distributed to all staff and induction sessions across the organisation are underway.

"A number of 'deep cleans' have taken place, including office areas, as well as routine freezer treatment of collection items. Training has been delivered to help key staff report sightings and take action to keep moth levels at a minimum.

"The section's preventive conservator participates in the UK's museum pest group, which is an expert help group with links to industry and international teams."

A Glasgow Life spokesman added: "Moths are a problem for every museum service. We have two massive freezers, in fact two frozen store rooms, at Glasgow Museums Resource Centre to eradicate any moth outbreak, particularly among taxidermy. Since the investment, we've been much better equipped to deal with the issue."

A small shiny golden-coloured insect 6mm-8mm long, often s een scuttling over infested material or fluttering around rooms somewhat aimlessly, the humble clothing moth is thought to be the number one insect pest in museums around the world and is capable of destroying huge amounts of animal-based material.

It is the larvae that hatch from the eggs pushed in between fibres and hairs that cause the damage and are able to digest keratin, found in fur, wool, feathers and hair.

The spokesman added: "Five stuffed animals and seven stuffed birds suffered damage as a result of common clothes moths at Kelvingrove Art and Gallery Museum between April 2012 and March 2013. A mixture of live moths, larvae and frass were found. Staff took immediate action to prevent further damage by removing the items and freezing them to kill the infestation.

"Ten items were also damaged at Kelvingrove over the same period.

"These include two sculptures, three paintings, one pottery piece, one Egyptian cast, one stuffed bird, and two small display items, namely a Japanese spider crab and longhorn beetle.

"Damage was minimal in all cases and has not resulted in any of the items being removed from display."

Glasgow Life could not put a price on the damage caused by the moths or the preventative action taken against them.