Carpet beetles are small bugs that resemble bed bugs or ladybugs. If you have seen them crawling around the house and have noticed damage to your curtains, sofas, carpets, and stored foods, you need to call a pest control provider.

What are Carpet beetles?

Common carpet beetles which are usually found in homes are varied carpet beetles and black carpet beetles. Carpet beetle larvae cause damage to rugs, carpets and fabrics that are made from natural animal fibers. Carpet beetle larvae look different for each species. Adult carpet beetles are usually seen in summer and they do not bite. They feed on pollen and are usually harmless.

Signs of Carpet Beetle

• • Seeing Adult Beetles
  • Finding Dead Beetles
  • Seeing Carpet Beetle Larvae
  • Finding Shed Larval Skins
  • Irregular Holes in Natural Fabrics
  • Thin or Bare Areas on Carpets and Rugs
  • Damage to Furs, Feathers, and Leather
  • Damage to Other Organic Materials
  • Finding Fecal Pellets
  • Skin Irritation or Rash

Seeing Adult Beetles:

• • Adult carpet beetles are small, typically ranging from 1/16 to 1/8 inch in length.
  • They have an oval shape and can vary in color, appearing black, brown, yellow, white, or mottled with different patterns.
  • Adults are often attracted to light and can be seen crawling on windowsills, walls, floors, and near light fixtures.
  • You might also find them outdoors on flowers, as they feed on pollen. Their presence indoors, however, often indicates an infestation.

Finding Dead Beetles:

• • Discovering dead adult carpet beetles, especially around windows or light sources, suggests that there is likely a breeding population somewhere in your home.
  • Their presence indicates they have completed their life cycle indoors.

Seeing Carpet Beetle Larvae:

• • The larvae are the damaging stage of the carpet beetle. They are small, elongated, and covered in bristles or hairs.
  • They typically range from 1/8 to 1/4 inch in length and are usually tan or brown.
  • Larvae prefer dark, undisturbed areas where they can feed on natural fibers. Look for them in closets, under furniture, along baseboards, inside drawers containing textiles, and in stored clothing or blankets.
  • They are less likely to be seen in open, well-lit areas.

Finding Shed Larval Skins:

• • As carpet beetle larvae grow, they molt, shedding their exoskeletons.
  • These shed skins are translucent, yellowish-brown, and resemble small, bristly husks or seed-like casings.
  • Finding numerous shed skins in areas where you suspect an infestation is a strong indicator of larval activity.

Irregular Holes in Natural Fabrics:

• • Carpet beetle larvae feed on natural fibers such as wool, silk, cotton, linen, and animal hair.
  • The damage they cause appears as irregular holes or clusters of small holes in clothing, upholstery, blankets, curtains, and other textiles.
  • Unlike moth damage, which often leaves clean-cut holes, carpet beetle damage can sometimes look more ragged or like surface grazing.
  • Check items that are stored for long periods, as these are particularly vulnerable.

Thin or Bare Areas on Carpets and Rugs:

• • Larvae can feed on the natural fibers in carpets and rugs, creating thin or bald patches.
  • Damage may not always be immediately obvious on the surface; check the underside of rugs and carpets, especially along edges and in areas under furniture.

Damage to Furs, Feathers, and Leather:

• • Items made from animal products like furs, feathers, and leather are also food sources for carpet beetle larvae.
  • Look for missing hair or bald spots on furs, damage to feather decorations or pillows, and surface grazing or holes in leather goods and book bindings.

Damage to Other Organic Materials:

• • While natural textiles are their primary food source, carpet beetle larvae can also feed on other organic materials such as pet hair, lint, dead insects, and even some plant-based materials like seeds and cereals in neglected areas.

Finding Fecal Pellets:

• • Carpet beetle larvae produce tiny, dark fecal pellets that resemble fine grains of pepper.
  • These pellets may be found in areas where larvae are feeding, such as in the nap of carpets, within folds of fabric, or in dusty corners.

Skin Irritation or Rash:

• • Some people can experience skin irritation or a rash upon contact with the bristly hairs of the carpet beetle larvae or their shed skins.
  • This reaction can sometimes be mistaken for bed bug bites or other insect bites. If you develop unexplained skin irritation, especially in areas where you suspect carpet beetles, they could be the cause.

Recognizing these signs early can help you address a carpet beetle infestation before significant damage occurs. If you suspect you have carpet beetles, it’s important to thoroughly inspect potential hiding places and take appropriate measures to eliminate them.

How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles

Getting rid of carpet beetles by yourself is challenging because these pests are tiny, hard to spot, and can find food sources for their larvae in areas that are hard to inspect.

Here are some handy tips to get rid of a carpet beetle infestation:

• Vacuum away — clean hard-to-reach spots in your house and remove any hair, dander, and lint accumulations that act like magnets for carpet beetles.
• Ensure your home is free of other household pests like birds, rodents, and wasps which might be potential places of carpet beetle infestations.
• Ensure your chimney is cleaned at least once a year since it can be a breeding ground for carpet beetles.
• If you think you have a potential carpet beetle infestation in your closets, then washing or laundering your fabrics will effectively eliminate the infestation. Dry cleaning will be more effective as this process will kill all the life stages of the beetle.
• If your woolen and fur garments are a target for a potential infestation, then getting them cleaned professionally is a good idea.
• If you are dealing with a carpet beetle infestation that is getting out of hand, we suggest you call a home pest control service.

What do Carpet Beetles Look Like

Features: These pests are oval-shaped and have a black, white, and yellow pattern color. They are usually 2.5 cm in length. Carpet beetle larvae are light brown to black in color and covered in dense, barbed hair.

Carpet beetle eggs measure 1/4 to 1/2 in length and have an oval shape. The eggs are very small and are white or cream in color. Adult carpet beetles lay eggs and fly through open doors and windows. Female beetles lay eggs on furniture, clothing, or rugs.

Types of Carpet Beetles

There are different types of carpet beetles like

• Black carpet beetle
• Furniture carpet beetle
• Varied carpet beetle

Carpet beetles can be found in your home and they can cause damage to furniture, rugs, carpets, cushions, chairs, and clothing. Treatment for all carpet beetles is the same.

Varied carpet beetles are a type of beetle that are more active during springtime. They are scavengers that feed on woolens, hides, stored foods like meat, taxidermy specimens, and other animal products. They are also introduced when infested items are brought into a home. If a carpet beetle infestation is left uncontrolled, they’re likely to multiply quickly.

Where do Carpet Beetles Come From?

Carpet beetles live and breed outdoors where they can get a steady diet of pollen and nectar. They hitch a ride into your home on flowers and plants. Because of their small size, they can fly into your home through an open window or small cracks in windows and doors.

Openings around plumbing entrances, electrical conduits, soffit vents, and chimneys also serve as access points to your home. They’re attracted to light and infest a large variety of household items.

Carpet Beetles Damage

Carpet beetles can cause wide-scale damage to your property if the infestation is left unchecked. Most carpet beetle damage is when the pests dig holes into furniture and household items made of wool, silk, linen, leather, etc. They also feed on carpets, upholstered furniture, blankets, quilts, wool, pillows, and clothing.

Though carpet beetles themselves are not poisonous, they can be harmful if they contaminate the house’s food. Carpet beetles can contaminate stored food that is left open with their feces and saliva, which is infected with bacteria. When this bacteria enters the human body, it can cause diseases like carpet beetle dermatitis, respiratory tract irritation, and allergic reactions.

How to Prevent a Carpet Beetle

Rather than getting rid of a pest infestation, it is better to prevent it. Here are a few tips that can save your home and furniture:

• If you are bringing in any furniture or old clothing from a yard sale, treat it with heat.
• Vacuum your furs, woolen, and furniture regularly. This will also help you eliminate lint, pet and human hair, dirt, and other organic debris, a magnet for carpet beetles.
• Store your winter clothing like furs or woolens in air-tight bags or cedar closets. Cedar oil is a repellent for carpet beetles.
• Make sure you clean under your furniture and other hard-to-reach places regularly.

A licensed and professional pest control service can save your home from a carpet beetle infestation which might cost you thousands of dollars in property damage.