The name Carpet Beetle can refer to several species of carpet beetle, the most common being the Black Carpet Beetle. The black carpet beetle can be a serious pest for home and business owners, as it’s larval stage has a voracious appetite for natural materials and fibers; it will feed on and destroy furniture, carpets, and linens made from cloth, leather, silk, wool, and more. As an adult, the black carpet beetle will feed on pollen, and will not directly damage your carpets or furniture. However, female beetles can lay several hundred eggs in just a few days; and the new generation of carpet beetles can remain in the larval stage for over a year and a half! That is almost two years worth of eating and damaging items around the home or office.
Adult carpet beetles may enter the home from the outside, or eggs and larvae may be brought in on infested carpets or furniture items. In order to prevent possible problems and serious infestations, a few precautions may be taken.
Preventing Carpet Beetle Infestations
The first step in preventing carpet beetle infestations should be to practice good sanitation around the home. Carpet Beetles will be attracted to any type of animal product, and will prefer a moist environment. Cleaning out areas that collect food, hair, lint, and other detritus will make your home less enticing to adult and larval carpet beetles. Eliminating or reducing moisture around the house will similarly help.
After making your home less inviting to carpet beetles, make sure you are careful when introducing new items to your home that might have been exposed to carpet beetles. Items such as carpets, furniture (especially antique), and clothing (especially vintage or second-hand), should be inspected for larvae and carpet beetle eggs–these are tiny, oval, off-white and have bristles on one end. When in doubt, new items can be treated, or, if able, put through a hot wash and dry.
Carpet Beetle Control:
Getting Rid of Carpet Beetles
Even with proper prevention, sometimes a carpet beetle infestation still might occur. If you’re noticing a number of adults or have found larvae, you should do a thorough inspection of the entire home and try and identify the source of the infestation. If the infestation is confined to one item, it is recommended you discard the item immediately.
We also recommend treating the area around the infected item in case eggs have been deposited or larvae have migrated. This could involve a mild insecticide and/or a desiccant (a low-impact, drying agent) such as diatomaceous earth. Before using one of these products, we highly recommend consulting a pest management professional.
Bain Pest Control Service offers several options for carpet beetle treatment, including full home inspections, low-impact insecticide applications, and ongoing monitoring programs to assure complete carpet beetle elimination. In addition a individualized carpet beetle treatment, carpet beetles are also covered under our Home Protection Programs–this program provides full coverage against all of the most commons pests in New England.
Contact us today for free consultation: call 800.272.3661 or fill out an online request form.
