Carpet Beetle Larvae: The Top Fabric Pest
January 8th, 2010 Posted in Pantry & Linen Pests
A carpet beetle is a pest that feeds on varying fabrics like carpet, fur, or clothing. They tend to prefer carpet because it is the prime spot to leg their eggs and let loose their baby larvae. Carpet beetle larvae can be more vicious than the adult pest because they will eat more of the carpet surrounding them.
The larvae are ravenously eating because they are growing to eventually become a full grown carpet beetle. Having these pests in your home can be very annoying issue for your family to deal with. So, learning how to manage the carpet beetle is important information for your family to have.
Identifying A Carpet Beetle And Their Larvae
An adult carpet beetle is 2.8 to 5 mm long, making them very hard to identify. The adult comes in every color from red to brown and have segmented bodies. The black carpet beetle is the only species that is the same exact color throughout their body. The first section of their body is much shorter than the second segment of their body.
The larvae can grow to 12.7mm in length depending on how much of your carpets they consume. The larvae can feed on leather, silk, wool, hair, dried meat, or dried plants. The larva’s body is shaped like a carrot and comes in any color from gold to brown. Oddly enough, the larvae have hair at the tail end of their bodies that is golden brown.
How To Identify Carpet Beetle Larvae Damage In Your Home
- Look for any other insects in your home. Larvae often feed on ticks, mites, spiders, or any other insect living or dead that they can get a hold of. Finding remnants of other insects throughout your home is a definite sign that they are being feasted on by the carpet beetle larvae.
- Look for any damage to your carpet and other fabrics. Examine your carpet often to look for holes or missing carpet fibers. Look through your clothing for holes because it could be that a carpet beetle larvae had a snack, at the expense of your clothing. This is the easiest way to know if you have a problem with carpet beetle adults or larvae.
- Check for molted skin in your home. In the process of growing from larvae to adult the carpet beetle sheds its skin. Thus, if you find cast skins on your floor it is highly likely it is one of those fabric pests.
So, How Do You Safely Get Rid Of The Carpet Beetle And Their Larvae?
Eliminating the source of the carpet beetle’s existence in your home is vital to ridding yourself of their terror once and for all. Get rid of any accumulation of lint, dead insects, hair, or any other items that could serve as food for the carpet beetle and their larvae. Frequent cleaning and vacuuming will rid any invaded items in your home of these fabric pests.
Clean any spills or dirt within your home to prevent more carpet beetles from entering your home. Dry cleaning or washing your clothes on your own is also an effective means of riding yourself of any carpet beetle larvae living within the fabric of your attire. Keep any furry, hairy, or enticing items stored away out of the reach of the carpet beetle.
By placing clothing or blankets in sealed plastic containers you will prevent the carpet beetle from eating your things, thus removing a once permanent food source. Make sure to store extra food properly as well so it does not go bad and attract larvae to feast away. Placing your food in freezers will prevent the carpet beetles from getting to any of your food. Management of the carpet beetle will go a long way towards making your home insect free.
Another important method of ridding yourself of a carpet beetle infestation is through EcoSMART’s organic insecticides. Using EcoSMART’s Home Pest Control is the safe and smart way to stop them from continually bothering you and your family. Made with natural oils and chemicals, our product is safe for the environment, pets, and most importantly your children.
It only takes one spray of a hazardous pesticide on your carpet to endanger the safety of your family and pets. Therefore, using organic and natural insecticides is the only way to remain safe, while also remaining protected from pesky critters.
9 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers!
By kerry johnstone on Mar 15, 2010
ive got carpet beetles and they are terrifiyng me and my kids
i need to get rid of them x
By Joanne Chenoweth on Mar 17, 2010
I have discovered carpet beetles in my bedroom and bath. I’ve vacuumed every square inch of everything and checked fabrics. They seem to be attracted to the light from my bathroom window, so I keep the bedroom dark and the bathroom door open. I’ve caught several of them this way. My next step is to try the non-toxic traps or sprays. I also understand that they love the goodies found in wasp nests and I have one in my attic. I’ll get a professional to help me get rid of the attic nests and destroy any that are started this summer in my eves. These are really creepy.
By Dawn on Apr 4, 2010
My boyfriend’s great aunt died a while back and most of her things were boxed up, brought to our house and never sorted. I had noticed a couple of small bugs on one, killed them and thought nothing of it. Now these things are everywhere in our house and I am freaking out! I can’t tell if they are varied carpet beetles or the furniture type, I just know they are making me lose my mind. We took his aunt’s stuff out of our house, but apparently it was too little too late. I’ve sprayed and vacuumed like crazy, but I can’t seem to locate the source. How do I get rid of these things short of having fighter jets bomb my house?
By EcoSMART Brian on Apr 6, 2010
Hello Joanne,
Before seeking professional help for your carpet beetle problems, try using our Home Pest Control for safe, affordable, and effective insect management.
http://www.ecosmart.com/shop/individual-products/home-pest-control.html
By EcoSMART Brian on Apr 6, 2010
Dear Dawn,
Sorry to hear about your large-scale infestation. I suggest using our Home Pest Control because it is safe for indoor use and designed to specifically target the carpet beetle.
http://www.ecosmart.com/shop/individual-products/home-pest-control.html
If the problem continues without any signs of relief, consult eco-friendly professional exterminators.
http://legacy.ecosmart.com/professional/
By Jay on Apr 7, 2010
Just started to see carpet beetles around the house and also found out how hard they can be to get rid of. Hope that your product is an effective way to kill the larvae as I understand this life stage is the most destructive. I’m hoping that the adults are just coming in from the outside garden as we haven’t actually noticed any damage to any clothes or linens. We haven’t yet seen any of the larvae and so I’m hoping that controlling these pests won’t be as much of a nightmare. So far, we haven’t contacted any pest control companies out of concern for the environment and our health. Will continue to explore your website to look at the options you offer and perhaps can participate in your product testing. Thanks!
By Dave on Apr 15, 2010
It did kill them in the beetle stage. Haven’t found anymore larvae right now, but we have one more room to do. So I’ll post back with my findings if I find some.
By Rina on Jul 12, 2010
Hi, we seem to get carpet beetles annually out here in the desert — the exterminator told us they fly in looking for water. However, we got one really bad infestation years ago from a gift someone sent us that we packed away in a closet — it took us WEEKS of pulling everything out, cleaning/dry cleaning etc. The next time it happened a few years later, we invested in spacebags for most of our storage items.
It is an ongoing battle when you have stuff you store and forget.
By Kara on Jul 15, 2010
Check your pancake mix!! Solved my severe infestation. Vacuuming daily was doing nothing… No wonder!!! They nearly drove me insane it took me months to track down the source… And the whole time I’d been hunting they’d been enjoying pancakes. Gross!!! Haven’t seen one since the hungry Jack left the house!!!