When it comes to insects, carpet beetles are one of the most common and tedious to eliminate. When all valuable things appear, they are in danger since this pest feeds on clothes, furniture, and carpets. Apart from this, it is also recurrent that people suffer allergic reactions from the coat of the larvae.
Getting rid of these insects, regardless of their shape, is extremely necessary to live a peaceful existence. Knowing more about the enemy could help make it easier to deal with them from the start. There is nothing better than having all the tools to eliminate carpet beetles, that’s for sure.
What are carpet beetles?
Contents
These are a type of insect that could fall into the category of common beetles, but they invade homes very quickly. Generally, they are looking for spaces where they can stock up on furniture, rugs, clothing, and many other items with fabric.
Something interesting about this type of pest is that it comes in different forms, such as the varied carpet beetle, black carpet beetles, and other carpet beetles.
Adult carpet beetles are usually an annoyance insect as they congregate around the light, and it’s actually carpet beetle larvae which are most damaging. And the carpet beetle larvae like eating the organic materials and fibers like fabric, silk, wool, leather, fur, felt, animal hair, and other things. This can result in damaged carpets, furniture, accessories, shoes, clothing, sheets, curtains, and other things.
Not only can they damage your property and possessions, but also the carpet beetle larvae have barbed hairs on the bodies of theirs which could cause skin irritation to folks. Nevertheless, they’re not poisonous and don’t carry any serious diseases or perhaps bacteria.
Nevertheless, if gone unnoticed for a long time, the carpet beetle larvae are able to destroy products in your house and make you lose a lot of money.
How to Identify Carpet Beetle Larvae?
These can vary depending on the species, although they have similar patterns that you should pay attention to. Most tend to measure between 4 and 5 mm in length, with the characteristic that they have thick hairs.
The shape they have is normally oval, and with a tan-brown color, the white stripes go together. It is easy to identify the long ones because they have hairs on the back that can be longer on the tail.
Signs of Carpet Beetles
The signs that insects of this type inhabit the house are very obvious if they are analyzed with extreme care. You have to pay attention and then call in pest extermination professionals to find out what to do.
- The first sign is damaged items such as clothing, rugs, pillows, among others.
- Sheds of skins can be caused by the growing larvae; they are easy to identify.
- Excrement can be found near damaged areas and is usually small but easy to identify closely.
- The same eggs are found, although it is unlikely that a human will detect you by himself.
Also Read: How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles Naturally
Life Cycle
It is similar to most types of carpet beetles. Eggs hatch in approx. two weeks. And carpet beetle larvae prefer the deep and feed on fabric (fur, carpet, and wool); the adult carpet beetles like sun and feed on nectar/pollen.
Where Do the Carpet Beetles Come from?
As stated before, adult carpet beetles as well as their larvae are drawn to the sources of food. And as adult carpet beetles, the carpet beetles mainly feed on seeds and also the nectar of flowers. What this means is they are frequently found in gardens and yards and can be easily attracted into your house through open doors and windows, cracks in the door and window frames, cellar openings, and also cracked siding.
The adult carpet beetles would be very active during the high temperature of summer, and however, they choose to lay the eggs of theirs in a deep, sheltered location with a guaranteed supply of the food. Then, the carpet beetles are usually drawn to the sheltered, much less frequented areas of the house of yours, including your chimney and attic.
Windows and doors that are open during the summertime may be attracted to adult carpet beetles. If the female carpet beetles lay their eggs in your bed sheets, clothing, furniture, rugs, or carpet, you are able to find a carpet beetle infestation rapidly.
How to Eliminate the carpet beetle larvae naturally?
Acting quickly in the event of a possible infestation is important, but ensuring the family’s well-being. Here are some natural tips:
- Vacuum any area where you notice carpet beetles or larvae of this type.
- Steam cleaners remove any remaining traces of the pest, including eggs.
- Wash all infested clothing in hot water.
- The boric acid powder is a natural and easy way to get rid of carpet beetles; it also prevents future infestations.
- You can use natural repellents that are very safe and effective for your pets and family, such as natural dust and essential oils.
- If the infestation is very serious, you need to call professionals to help you remove carpet beetles in your house.
How to prevent carpet beetle larvae?
The simplest way to deal with an infestation is to prevent it from happening in the first place, which is simple. Only certain steps like these should be followed:
- Keep the house clean; the brighter it is, the less are the chances of running into insects.
- Vacuuming is a great way to keep dust out and carpet beetles at bay. If they do sneak in, you won’t even notice it sucks frequently.
- Preventive sprays are inexpensive and have great references, spray in certain areas, and voila.
- Boric acid is safe, reliable, and healthy for the whole family. The best part is that it is very easy to use and successfully eradicates carpet beetles.
