Is your Carpet Infested with Carpet Beetles? (5 Ways to Know)

Have you been noticing unusual spots on your carpet lately? Chances are it might be infested with beetles. Carpet beetles tend to enjoy natural materials like wool, silk, and fur. They breed in dark places such as basements, attics, and even air vents. The only question that remains is how to know for sure your carpet is infested.

If you can spot adult beetles, small holes in clothes, shredded beetle skin near furniture and carpets, fecal pellets, and damage to rugs, you have a carpet beetle infestation. Besides, carpet beetles are attracted to the light. So, you can see some of them near the lamps and on the windowsills. 

How Do You Know You Have Carpet Beetles?

To identify correctly a pest that has taken a part of your home, you need to know exactly what it looks like. Knowing that there are over 600 species of carpet beetles, this task seems too hard. But they are all similar.

The Look of Carpet Beetles

Carpet beetles are minor bugs, slightly more than 1 cm long and up to 0.5 cm wide. Their body shape is oval – sometimes elongated, sometimes almost round. The bug’s back is convex, the belly is flat. The body is covered with a shell with very dark or black hairs and scales on it. On the wings, there’s a yellowish pattern. The head is small and inclined or vertical. The eyes are small, too. Short antennae have attached to the forehead in front of the eyes and can be hidden in a deep furrow on the chest. Short legs are tightly pressed to the abdomen of the beetle.

Where Do Carpet Beetles Live?

Carpet beetles live outside in the holes of rats and hamsters or even on the bodies of dead animals. But one day they appear in your house.

In people’s houses, carpet beetles can be found in dry and bright places: between window frames and on window sills, in ceiling lamps of sconces and chandeliers. But their larvae choose warm dark places: cracks in the floor, skirting boards under radiators, mezzanines, wardrobes, shoe racks, suitcases with shoes, woolen and fur things, and containers with food products of plant and animal origin.

The capture of an apartment by them takes place on summer days through open windows or brought things and products affected by larvae. A feature of the rapid settlement is reproduction. One female beetle can lay up to 1000 larvae in 2-3 months.

Carpet Beetles’ Larvae

Larvae do even more damage than carpet beetles. They are growing up, so they need to eat lots of carotene and chitin. These animal products can be found in natural fabrics, fur, feathers, leather, and carpets, made of non-synthetic materials. The larvae’s body is usually colored in dark brown and white (or beige). The larvae’s bodies can be covered with hairs. These hairs can irritate your skin if they are touching it, while you are sleeping. 

Getting rid of the carpet larvae is as important as getting rid of carpet beetles themselves. But the destruction of larvae may be even harder.

Careful Check of Carpet Beetles Presence

I hate to tell it, but nobody can be guaranteed from carpet beetles’ intrusion into their homes. Don’t think that you are guaranteed from carpet beetles’ presence, just because you clean your house regularly or vacuum your carpets every single day.

So, keep an eye out! And inspect your carpets, sweaters, windowsills, etc regularly to find carpet beetles.

Here are 5 signs you should be aware of when dealing with a carpet beetle infestation.

1. The Presence of Adult Beetles

The first way you can be sure of having an infestation is the presence of the adult pest. Adult carpet beetles tend to come out even during daylight hours. These beetles are found lurking around windows or vents, trying to escape outside. Thus, you can “invite” carpet beetles to your house, just having opened the window in your room. Very often they are attracted by bright flowers, which are standing in the pots on your windowsills. 

Probably, you are wondering, whether it is possible to notice the carpet beetle’s larvae. Be sure, that if you have seen adult carpet beetles, then you have lots of their larvae in your house. But they are sensitive to light, so you won’t see them in any open areas. But if you look in the corners of your closet or behind your carpets, you may notice little dark brown dots. They are the larvae.

Adult beetles can eat away any type of fabric. Be sure to keep your clothes tucked away someplace safe.

2. Holes in clothes

If you have noticed tiny holes in your winter wardrobe, there is a high probability that carpet beetles are roaming nearby. Other pests like moths tend to leave bigger holes. It is easy to spot the presence of a beetle infestation since they leave a massive trail of evidence behind.

You might want to eliminate beetles that enjoy sweaters as appetizers as soon as possible.

3. Shedded Beetle Skin

Have you noticed light brown hollow remains of skin anywhere near your carpets? Carpet beetles shed their skin in places where beetle larvae are feeding. Shedding skin is easy to spot near carpets and furniture.

You will find the shed skin underneath your carpet too.

4. Fecal pellets

Beetle fecal pellets are as small as a grain of salt. If you own lightly colored carpets, beetle feces will be more visible. Beetle droppings are brown and can be found lying anywhere around your house.

5. Damaged rugs

Do your carpets or rugs have holes in them? You will need to carefully analyze the size of the holes. Carpet beetles tend to stay in only one spot when munching on your carpet. They often do not leave huge holes like moths.

Carpet beetles often cause irrevocable damage to expensive rugs so take care by cleaning your carpet regularly.

If you have noticed at least one of the signs of carpet beetle infestation, mentioned above, then it is time to take all the necessary actions to get rid of carpet beetles. 

How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles?

You must be looking for a way to get rid of carpet beetles now. Look no further since we have got all the answers. 

Here’s the list of actions you can do to get rid of carpet beetles and their larvae.

Step 1: Vacuum all the rugs and furniture upholstery in your house

Don’t get panic, if you notice carpet beetle signs in your house. Just start vacuuming! I am sure you vacuum your carpets regularly. But now you know the places, where carpet beetles and their larvae can be found. Just get the powerful vacuum cleaner to remove all the dots under the carpets, under the sofas, in dark corners, and on the windowsills. Everywhere! If you suspect, the little pests have settled there, then vacuum it thoroughly.

Step 2: Wash and Dry at a High Temperature

The first thing you should do is toss your carpet into a washing machine and dry it at a high temperature. You will need to wash your clothes and bedsheets as well if you want to ensure complete extermination.

Step 3: Use an insecticide

You can always opt for an insecticide to ensure the effective removal of all pests. This is a much faster alternative to washing your carpet. Insecticide sprays aren’t energy or time-consuming as well.

If you are looking to buy an effective insecticide to get rid of carpet beetles fast, check out the [amazon link=”B00530HSPW” title=”Tempo WP Ultra Pest Control Insecticide”/].

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Conclusion

We have looked at that the 5 signs you should watch out for when dealing with a carpet beetle infestation. These were the presence of adult beetles, small holes in clothes, shredded beetle skin, fecal pellets, and damaged rugs. 

I’ve also provided you with tips, which can help you to get rid of carpet beetles and their larvae. At the same time, sometimes the house infestation with carpet beetles is so massive, that you can’t deal with it yourself. Otherwise, you may simply avoid dealing with the insecticide, washing all natural fabrics, and vacuuming all the dark places in your house. In this case, I advise you to hire professionals. In this case, you should find the nearest pest control service near your place.

In any case, never give up and struggle with uninvited guests – carpet beetles – in your house. 

If you liked this post, go ahead and check out our post about carpet bugs.