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How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles

how to get rid of carpet beetles

If you noticed carpet beetles in your residence, then it’s time to “beat an alarm”.

Not only your carpets but also clothes as well as certain fabrics are in great danger. These deadly insects can eat cotton, linen, rayon, and certain food that come their way.

Therefore, it is essential to make away with these irritating scavengers.

 

5 Steps Guide on How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles

In the past, carpet beetles have been a problem for homeowners because they can destroy carpets, clothes, and other materials. This is especially true if you live in a humid area or if your home has old furniture that's infested with these pests.

Carpet bugs are pests of dark reddish-brown or yellow color. If your house has suitable locations to lay eggs and food, then no wonder they are in your house. Once the bugs come in, they stay in your furniture, food, clothing, carpets, and certain undisturbed areas.

Female carpet bugs always fly indoors to lay almost 100 eggs on food.

Thankfully, there are steps you can take to prevent them from entering your home and destroying your possessions. Below there are 5 easy and efficient steps to make away with carpet bugs and stop this from happening:

Step 1. Make a Thorough Inspection

Step 1: Step 1. Make a Thorough InspectionMake a thorough inspection to find sources of infestation. Remember, carpet bugs don’t feed on woolens that are often attacked by the larvae. If you noticed adults in your house, it doesn’t mean that bug larvae are in a similar location.

The carpet beetle is a small, 1/8-inch long, oval-shaped insect. They usually range from yellowish to dark brown and have six legs. Carpet beetles are active at night and hide during the daytime. This means that if you see active insects flying around your carpets or light fixtures at night - then there's a good chance that you have a carpet beetle infestation.

How to Know If the House is Infested with Bugs

  • If you noticed shed skins and fecal spots of bugs.
  • If you notice the bugs around your windows and baseboards, that can be really dangerous for your house.
  • If bugs created a big hole in the rug or carpet.

At first, you might only notice the presence of carpet beetles on your curtains or clothing. It's important to pay close attention to these areas since they are most likely hiding in other places around your home where it is warm and dark. You should also keep an eye out for small tufts of fibers that resemble cotton balls that serve as their food source. These larvae will shed their skin several times before becoming adults, so finding molted exoskeletons will be a good indication that there is infestation happening at your property.

The first thing you should do is make sure your inspection covers all possible areas where beetle larvae could hideout; including closets, cabinets under sinks, or furniture near heat sources like radiators.

Places to Find Larvae

  • under baseboards,
  • under the edges of carpet,
  • around door casings,
  • under and in upholstered furniture.

Once you found their location, it was easy to take care of the problem from there!

Carpet Beetles & Moth Damage

Carpet beetle infestations may sometimes be mistaken for clothes moths because both types of insects actually benefit each other! The female clothes' moth lays her eggs on carpets or other fabric items that have been damaged by carpet beetle larvae. When the eggs hatch, the new baby clothes moths will have a food supply waiting for them, and the cycle continues.

If you are unsure whether or not you're dealing with a carpet beetle infestation, it's best to call in a professional pest control company. They will be able to inspect your home and provide you with a treatment plan if necessary.

Step 2. Clean Up Clutter and Vacuum Thoroughly

Step 2: Step 2. Clean Up Clutter and Vacuum ThoroughlyThe next step is crucial in getting rid of these pests - clean up your clutter! Housekeeping is very important to prevent the infestation of bugs.

Beetles love messy areas where they can hide, so:

  • Get rid of any extra paper, boxes, or bags lying around.
  • Vacuum thoroughly as well; this will remove any larvae or eggs that may be present. Make sure you dispose of the vacuum bag afterward or empty the contents into a sealed trash bag outdoors.
  • Clean and wash outdoor trash bins and check if there are any dead insects in fissures and pipes that can be food for carpet bugs.
  • Inspect storage areas and clothes. Store clothing in clean, tight boxes. Don’t keep infested garments at home. Throw them away as they can increase the risk of bug infestation.

Step 3. Apply Insecticides

Step 3: Step 3. Apply InsecticidesIf necessary, use insecticides to treat infested areas. Be sure to follow the product instructions carefully, and keep pets and children away from treated areas until the products have dried.

  • Use a specifically labeled spray against carpet bugs and apply insecticide to the rug or carpet.
  • Spray liquid insecticide along with areas next to your home. Potential entry points like door frames, windows, vents, and utility pipes should be treated to prevent bugs from coming into the property.

How to get rid of bed bugsHow to get rid of bed bugs without harmful chemicals? You can find here the best steam cleaner for bed bugs.

How to Do Away with Carpet Beetles Larvae

It’s not a pleasant thing to deal with any type of insects and pests in the house. When it comes to carpet bugs larvae, it can be very harmful.

You can find larvae in rugs, carpets, clothing, blankets, slippers, or certain soft materials. Remember, larva prefers to feed in protected places.

If you want to find larvae, use such tools for searching:

  • a good flashlight or a knife
  • nail file
  • small spatula

Below are some awesome tips that help you to make away with larvae of carpet beetles:

  • Vacuuming.
    First of all, vacuum your carpet, furniture, and curtains. Inspect the floor and pick up things from it that can be infested by these bugs. Wash everything in warm water.
    Regular laundering and vacuuming of carpets, linens, and furniture can really help to battle bugs.
  • Prevention Spray.
    Purchase a prevention spray for carpet bugs.
  • Boric Acid.
    Another effective method is spreading boric acid onto the fabric furniture and the carpet.  In this way, you will have the greatest opportunity to kill all the living bugs' larvae and prevent the infestation from the new ones.
    You can find boric acid in different pest-control stores.
    The acid attaches to the bug’s body and kills it after the bug ingests it. Having low toxicity the acid is not harmful to humans.
  • Mothballs.
    Pack and store your clothes and fabrics in boxes with mothballs. If used correctly it can be really beneficial.
  • Boric acid should be vacuumed within 2 hours of application. Don’t allow the acid to sit for a long time on flooring as it can bleach it.
  • The mothballs should be kept in a sealed space to prevent toxic substances from being released.

Step 4. Monitor Infested Areas for Further Signs of Beetles

Step 4: Step 4. Monitor Infested Areas for Further Signs of BeetlesOnce you’ve completed steps one through three, it’s important to monitor infested areas for further signs of beetles. If you notice any additional activity, repeat steps two through three as necessary.

If you live in a humid area, it’s especially important to be vigilant in monitoring for signs of beetles, as they thrive in these conditions. Look for larva, eggs, or adult beetles and take action immediately if you see any evidence of an infestation.

Step 5. Prevent Future Infestations

Step 5: Step 5. Prevent Future InfestationsFinally, take some preventive measures to help reduce the chances of future carpet beetle infestations. This includes keeping your home clean and organized, vacuuming regularly, and using insecticides if needed.

By following these simple steps, you can get rid of those pesky carpet beetles for good!

Prevention is the most efficient way to avoid problems with carpet bugs.
Vacuum cleaning will efficiently prevent infestations and remove lint and hair that could increase future infestation. If you want to control the infestation of carpet bugs, consult professional pest control companies.

Carpet Beetles Identification

There are several dangerous species of carpet bugs that may damage your fabrics.

They are encountered as:

  • black carpet bugs,
  • varied carpet bugs,

  • common carpet bugs,
  • furniture carpet bugs.

Black carpet bugs are the most widespread ones and can cause great damage to fabrics. These annoying bugs are feeding on fur, hair, dead animal materials, woolen products, and plant materials.

Black carpet bugs are the most dangerous as they can destroy your property.

Varied carpet bugs are smaller than the black ones. Common Carpet Bugs are round, black, or yellow bugs. Larvae of these bugs often attack carpets and can also eat woolens, silk, furs, and feathers.

When it comes to furniture carpet bugs, they are usually found on furniture where they like to feed on padding, hair, and feathers.

  • Look at this awesome carpet beetle images to identify the bugs found at your house.
    Carpet beetle identification
  • Eggs, larvae, pupas and adults are 4 stages that all carpet bugs must go through.
    Adult bugs fly readily and feed outdoors on various flowers during summer days.
    Carpet bugs larvaes

  • Take into consideration, black carpet beetles are very destructive. This is one of their photos.
    Black carpet beetle
  • Here is a carpet bug larvae picture.
    Larvae can damage a great number of materials in your house.
    Carpet bug larvae

Questions & Answers

Do Carpet Beetles Fly?

Most people are wondered if carpet bugs can fly. Yes, these insects do fly. They are attracted to colored flowers and flowering plants near houses.

Due to their small size, these pests can easily enter through doors, windows, and other small openings.

What attracts them to the house? Certain scents and odors do attract them. These colored beetles can not only fly through an unscreened window but can also migrate to your property from an apartment of your neighbor.

What Do Carpet Beetles Eat?

If you have pets, then chances are high that you already know what types of carpets beetle larvae feed on: pet hair! This means, if any of your pets leave hair on the floor, then it will serve as a food source for carpet beetles. This is why you should pay attention to where in your home they are most likely hiding and take measures to clean up animal fur from these areas.

The larvae can also feed on fabric fibers so if there is any moth damage present - this could attract them too since their larvae eat clothing moths' webbing nests, which form around rips or tears in fabrics that have been stained with sweat or body oils of humans or animals.

What Scent Keeps Carpet Beetles Away?

I've found that peppermint and clove oils are the most effective at getting rid of carpet beetles because they not only repel these insects but also kill on contact.

I put a few drops of each oil on a cotton ball, then place the cotton ball in the areas where I'd seen the beetles.

In Conclusion

So there you have it – 5 simple steps to getting rid of those pesky carpet beetles! I hope this article was helpful and that you are now able to take care of this problem on your own.

Thanks for reading!

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