Health & Care Information For most of us, carpet beetles are like nightmares. A very tiny worm about 1⁄8 to 3⁄16 inch in size can cause quite a bit of damage. Although beetles are everywhere , infect we are surrounded by beetles such as wood boring beetles, leaf eating beetles and many others but the carpet beetles are the most irritating and destructive if you don’t take care of the problem quickly. Organic fibers and other organic products are the things, beetles love to eat.
There are several carpet beetle species that can occur in houses, , but the most common is furniture carpet beetle named as Anthrenus flavipes. In summer, they are relatively more active as compare to winters. They has very small size and they move very slowly. Carpet beetle is a voracious pests and feed a lot of things such as wool, leather, and even leftovers. Due to this fact, not a single corner can be considered out of their reach.
Your home carpet is a place where dirt or leftovers stuck and rarely cleaned that’s why beetles love your carpet and feel comfortable to stay there as this place provide them a perfect environment for larvae of beetles. In the form of thick carpet fibers, beetles have a healthy appetite. In case of beetles attack, you should look animal fibers, wool, hair silk, furniture or blankets areas at first and even your kitchen is one of the most critical area as noodles and flour are there.
What does a Carpet Beetles Look Like?
A small, tiny creature that can get on your nerves can be classified into following different types:
Black Carpet Beetles
The black carpet beetle is one of the most common carpet beetle around the world. They eat almost any type of animal product such as leather, wool, silk, feathers, hair, dried meat, dead insects, and even dried plant material, so the chances are very little that they will die due to hunger. The black carpet beetle is also known as a pest of kitchen cupboards but you can find them in woolen carpets or clothes storage areas as well.
An adult larvae is 2.8 to 5 mm long, black to reddish brown , male is a bit long then female larvae. They are mostly brown in colour with white or yellow markings They looks very different from other kinds carpet beetles’ larvae. They have a tuft of very long, curled, golden-brown hair at the tail end of their body and I mean they look really disgusting and their presence especially inside your house is unbearable. The larvae tend to stay out of sight under carpets or within folds of clothing or blankets in storage cupboards and wardrobes. However, they can be seen when they are crawling along a wall or a windowsill in their search for food. They prefer a warm, dry environment with a sufficient amount of food.
Variegated Carpet Beetle
As they have rainbow of color on their back surfaces so they have got their name as varied. You can find them all around your living place as they enjoy dining everywhere like on oriental carpets, tapestries and wood-based wall-to-wall carpeting. In addition , they are great fans of woolen fabrics, dead insects, furs, hides, feathers, horns, hair, silk as well as bones. So they can damage nearly all your households.
They need approximately 249-354 days to three years to grow from an egg to an adult. They are much smaller than the black carpet beetle. A round shaped body when viewed from above and they have a pattern of white, brown and yellow scales on the upper surface of their wing covers. Their eggs which they laid in different locations need 17 to 18 days to be hatched. A mature larvae is hardly more then 1/4-inch long and since it is usually broader at the back than at the front. Most irritating thing for human skin if touched or for lungs and nose if breathed in, is three pairs of hair tufts on the back end of the abdomen .
Get Rid of Carpet Beetles Permanently
There are many natural ways as well as chemical solutions that you can adopt in order to get rid of these annoying pests. Some of them are given below:
A thought of having beetles in your bed or mattress is enough to keep you awake. Anthrenus flavipes is one of the most common furniture carpet beetle. It is a small beetle, as little as the head of a pin, oval shaped body and has a mixture of black and gray patches on the body surface . It is characterized by moving very slowly and rolling over as if dead when touched. Following tips may help you to have a peaceful sleep again:
- The first step of treatment is to identify the problem, so you have to search a little for fecal pellets and shed skins at doubted places like your bed, car or closet and also source places like dark, undisturbed locations, and if you find them, then you definitely have unwanted guests at your home.
- Thorough vacuum will be your next immediate step. Vacuum the entire home with focus on primary source location, you have found. Vacuum all carpeted areas as well as any upholstered furniture or other fabric-covered areas that cannot be washed in a washing machine.
- In case of infested cloths like your bed sheets etc. which has already been eaten away, it is best to simply discard it. By keeping them, you will keep the risk of beetles indeed. If fabrics are not damaged, then wash them with hot water.
- Clean your bed if pets were in your bed because they can also be a carrier of bugs.
- Apply insecticides that contain chlorpyrifos, bendiocarb, and allethrin, these chemicals are considered most effective against pests.
- Try dusting infested areas with boric acid for a solution that is non-toxic for humans. But be careful as boric acid have bleaching effect.
- To place hormone-based glue traps around cracks, crevices, and other locations of your bed from which you suspect the infestation to originate from is also a good precaution.
Get Rid of Carpet Beetles in my Car
Carpet beetles in your car? not a pleasant situation, not at all. Having carpet beetles in your car can be an indication of having them in your house as well. It seems pretty certain that the carpet beetle larvae in the car came from the person whose house is infested. Follow the simple tips which are given below:
- First of all, vacuum your car seats thoroughly .
- Wash the car carpets with hot water if possible otherwise vacuum them also.
- Remove all which can be food source for them like old food or extra piece of cloth.
- Apply an organic insecticide.
- Maintain a general cleaning in your car.
Get Rid of Carpet Beetles in Closet
Carpet beetles in your closet is most dangerous as your favorite dresses may be damaged in such a way that you may not use them. If you find carpet beetles in your closet, follow these tips:
- First of all remove all items from the infested closet. If you are removing your infested clothes without proper care, you may spread the infestation. So be careful.
- After removing all clothes from closet, it will be best if you can take them in a open place and brush or vacuum items thoroughly, giving special attention to pockets and cuffs.
- Then dry clean or launder using hot water whatever suits you as sometimes hot water cause damage to the fabric. Washing or dry cleaning will kill insects in fabrics.
- After thorough cleaning , a pesticide can be used in order to clear the cracks, crevices and hidden surfaces as these locations may contain eggs that can lead future infestation.
Natural Repellent for Carpet Beetles
When you are sure that you are surrounded by Carpets Beetles, the best control strategy is to do a thorough vacuuming of the suspected infested sites. In case of cars and closet, do a thorough cleaning, which includes looking for all the material like fabrics in your closet, furniture, food that could be infested. In the kitchen. If possible, discard all material which is already damaged as they may contain eggs and can be again a source of irritating pests.
Diatomaceous earth may also offer a natural solution for Carpet beetle infestations. It is a powdery white dust and used as an insecticide by wearing away the insect’s outer layer of protection. This outer layer serves as protection as the insect can regulate water through it but in absence of it, the insect dries up and dies. An added benefit of all natural product is its non-toxic nature so for humans and pets, it is safe.
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