Although I consider myself a super neat person, one day it happened to me, too. In my house carpet beetles, as well as their larvae, appeared. It is the larvae that cause the greatest damage to the carpets made of natural materials, woolen clothes, leather products, etc. But is it possible to notice the carpet beetle larvae in time and take action?
It is possible to see carpet beetle larvae in your house. The pest with the body 1\4 – 1\8 hides in the dark corners of your wardrobe, on the underside of the carpets and rugs, under the sofas, and in other calm undisturbed places in your house. If you look attentively into such places, you can notice the carpet beetle larvae. But more often people get aware their house was infected with larvae after they have seen holes in their clothes and textile, made of natural materials. Read further to know, what carpet beetle larvae look like.
What Do Carpet Beetles and Their Larvae Look Like?
Carpet larvae are small and inconspicuous. They hide in the dark corners of your house. And it is almost impossible to detect them in advance. Many homeowners realize that their home acts as a hub for hundreds of carpet beetle larvae just after huge holes have appeared on the surface of their expensive wool carpet.
Of course, it is better to understand at an earlier stage that the house is infested with carpet beetles and their larvae. And to understand it, you need to know what they look like.
Carpet Beetles Look
Adult carpet beetles do not destroy products, which contain animal protein, such as fur clothes or wool carpets. They feed on pollen from flowers, so you can often find them on windowsills next to flower pots.
These beetles are very small – only 1/6 – 1/8 inch long. Their small body has a neat oval shape. Carpet beetles are of different colors – from black and dark brown to light beige or yellow.
But do not be charmed by these tiny guests, constantly spinning near your beautiful flowers. Soon female carpet beetles will lay 50-100 eggs. After a while, voracious larvae will hatch from the eggs.
Carpet Beetle Larvae Look
Carpet beetle larvae hatch from eggs after about 14 days. The larvae are very hard to spot as they are quite small – 1/4 – 1/8 inch long. The body of the carpet beetle larva is oblong. Its color is light brown. The larva’s body is covered with short sharp bristles. It moves quite fast on your wool rugs and leather boots, leaving a long trace. The trace consists of small holes.
Very rarely homeowners see the carpet beetle larva in their own eyes as it is too small and fast. But it is easy to notice the products of their vital activity – feces. In fact, they look like small black grains.
You may notice the larvae in dark warm places, like the corners of your wardrobes, cracks in baseboards, dark warm places under carpets and sofas etc.
I understand that many homeowners get frustrated when they see carpet beetle larvae in their homes. They immediately start blaming themselves that they did not clean their rugs, floors, and wardrobes thoroughly enough. Also, many housewives worry that they did not wash clothes from natural materials on time or did not give them dry cleaning. Of course, many people worry about carpets damaged by larvae. Voracious little pests leave huge holes only on natural carpets, which are much more expensive than synthetic ones. And then every homeowner asks himself, “Why me? Why was my house infected with carpet beetle larvae?” Let’s see why this was possible. Was it just your house infected with carpet beetle larvae? Or are they common in other homes, too?
How Common Are Carpet Beetle Larvae in Homes?
I hasten to reassure you – carpet beetle larvae are very common. One in 10 homes in the USA is infected with carpet beetles and their larvae. You are not alone in your fight against carpet larvae. Many homeowners have struggled with voracious carpet beetle larvae for years.
Here’s what the research assistant, Christian Brown, said about his experience with carpet beetle larvae,
“When I first noticed a carpet beetle larva in my house, I was shocked. Very soon a real war began between us. They ate a lot of valuable things for me, including my collection of insects. It took me 2 years to completely get rid of them. You must know that they will not go away on their own.”
Expert’s Opinion
I am sure having carpet beetle larvae in your house is terrible. But it becomes really awful, if they come to your bedroom.
Why Do I Have Carpet Beetle Larvae in My Bedroom?
When you see carpet beetle larvae in the bedroom, your feelings become especially bothersome. The bedroom is the place where you sleep, completely relax and have rest. Obviously, you don’t want to share your bedroom with voracious larvae that leave holes and dirt behind.
The larvae appear in the bedroom for the same reason as in all other rooms. At first, adult carpet beetles entered through an open window or door. Then they laid eggs, which hatched into larvae.
Remember that the larvae love dark, quiet corners people rarely look at. If you find a damaged wool carpet, fleece blanket or silk blouse, immediately start examining all the dark corners in your bedroom. it’s time to finally get rid of the carpet beetle larvae.
How to Get Rid Of Carpet Beetle Larvae
If you saw a carpet beetle larva in your house, this is a sign that you have a lot of job to do. What kind of job is it? First of all, it’s cleaning.
The main thing you need to do is to get into all the secret dark corners of your house and clean them properly.
I recommend starting with the cabinets or wardrobes in which your clothes are located. Follow this plan:
1. Open all closets with clothes and take out all sweaters, blouses and scarves. This is especially useful if you haven’t worn these items of clothing for several years. Probably the larvae are hiding there.
2. Take your clothes outside regularly. I recommend taking jackets, sweaters and raincoats outside twice a year. Unwrap all the clothes, shake them out, and hang them on a rope in the yard. If the climate in your area allows it, take the clothes outside during the hot weather in summer and frosty weather in winter. Extremely high or low temperature kills carpet beetle larvae in your clothes.
3. Wash cabinet drawers thoroughly from the inside. You can wash the boxes with warm water and vinegar or use a mild detergent. After that, dry the cabinets thoroughly.
4. Look through all clothes damaged by carpet beetles. I recommend throwing out the ones that can’t be restored. The things you choose to leave should be washed in hot water. If the fabric is not sensitive to high temperatures, pour boiling water over it and leave for a while.
5. Carpet Beetle larvae like to settle in the corners of the rugs. So, take away the furniture from your rug and look under it. If you see carpet larvae on the floor under the carpet, don’t hesitate and clean it with hot water.
6. Clean your house regularly with steam cleaners. The hot steam kills carpet beetle larvae perfectly.
Hopefully, with my plan, you’ll get rid of larvae fast.
Conclusion
To wrap up, it’s very hard to see the carpet larvae. Most homeowners find out, that their house has become infested, when they see the holes in their things, made of natural materials. If you have noticed the carpet larvae in your bedroom or living room, in your wardrobe, or in your carpet pile, don’t be afraid! Just start the big cleaning of each dark corner in your house.
I am sure, you’ll manage to get rid of carpet beetle larvae and will never see even a single one in your house in the future.