i've been sewing and starching for 48 years- i have never had a 'bug problem' but i use, move my fabrics around regularly- i don't know if that has anything to do with it- but it's never been a problem for me- it could be a 'location' issue -- more apt to happen if you live somewhere where bug infestations are a common problem- or if the fabrics are stacked up & left (unchecked) for a long long time-
i've had boxes of fabrics out in my garage for a year- and still---no bugs.

I don't use starch but want to avoid it for this reason.

I thought I never had moths in my closet until DH took out his suit to wear to his mother's funeral. During the after-event, I tried picking at what I thought was lint. Turned out he had moth holes on his good suit. We found quite a few after looking carefully.

:)

We don't have these kinds of bugs with our low humidity levels here.

My mil starched all her fabric after washing and then stored it in her damp basement in carboard storage boxes. After she passed, going through her stash we had to dispose of all of it because of the silverfish. I didn't want to bring any of it home. I do not wash and iron and starch my stash, I do that after I have put together a grouping ready for a project.

I've had silverfish.

I've had to throw out vintage linens and fabrics (along with irreplaceable books and scrapbooks) from two family estates because of silverfish. It's not just an urban legend.

When i started quilting more than 30 years ago, I used starch on a regular basis, have neve found bugs inmy fabric . About 20 years ago I moved my entire house hold from WI to south texas, no bugs in either place.

I'm one that learned the hard way - silverfish and moths.