Everything You Need To Know About Carpet Beetles

While there are some beetles capable of biting, the carpet beetle can be considered harmless and of the vegetarian nature, eating mostly a diet of natural fibers.  The carpet beetle is sometimes mistaken for a bed bug.  The first noticeable difference is that the bed bug will bite, leaving red marks.

The control of carpet beetles begins with proper identification.

An adult carpet beetle is black and equipped with wings that sport an orange/red stripe down the middle. Additionally, the wings have a pattern of white and orange/red scales. In addition to operative wings, the carpet beetle has 6 legs and a pair of antennae. They are very small, ranging from 1/16th-1/8th inch in length. Carpet beetles are appropriately named from being a common pest that feeds on the natural fibers of carpet. They also will eat wool, hair, feathers, furs, silk, and most clothing fabrics.

Once inside a home, the carpet beetle will often find places where insects have at one time accumulated.  They will also get in attics and crawl spaces.  While the adult carpet beetle doesn’t bite, the larva has hairs that can cause pulmonary irritation when inhaled. Consequently, they occasionally cause allergic reactions in some individuals.

How to Prevent Carpet Beetles

A few prevention measures such as these can help reduce the chance of carpet beetle infestation:

• Reduce breeding sites and food sources by routinely dusting and vacuuming all carpets, upholstered furniture, and pantry shelves.
• Rarely used clothing such as furs and leather should be sealed in pest proof containers.
• Carpet beetles often come into your home on flowers and used furniture.  Check closely and clean prior to bringing into the home.
• Examine the outside of your home. Look closely at the foundation and outer walls for holes, gaps, and cracks where insects may squeeze through. Be sure to pay attention to areas where pipes, wires, and other objects pass through walls.
• Wherever you find any openings, no matter how tiny, make repairs using a caulking gun, cement, or other repair material.
• When bringing plants in from outside, carefully inspect them for carpet beetles and other insects.
• Dry cleaning or running all your clothes through the dryer on the hottest setting will kill carpet beetle larvae if any are present.
• Make sure to keep your home vacuumed and dusted.
• Using bright fabrics and keeping rooms well lit will help to drive larvae away. These creatures prefer to be in dark areas.
• Keep all foods stored in tightly-sealed containers or inside the refrigerator or fridge to prevent adult carpet beetles from finding food.

If the problem of carpet beetles persists, you will want to quickly seek the professional services of a pest control company.  The key to successful eradication is to find the primary source of infestation and eliminate all beetles from the site.  Witt Pest Management technicians are trained to identify such locations not noticeable to the untrained individual.  Witt pest control professionals will successfully eradicate and resolve your beetle infestation with a variety of measures to provide you with a pest free home.  The smart way to be pest-free is to select one of Witt’s TOPCARE pest control programs.  Your home will be protected with year round coverage of 40 plus common pests including carpet beetles.