Your home or your office is covered in beautiful carpets you purchased some years ago, and up until recently you’ve had no problems with them whatsoever; they’ve created a pleasant atmosphere and added color and life to the surroundings. That’s why you were so devastated to discover one day that the carpets are teeming with nasty little bugs! How horrible. This kind of situation can really be upsetting, but don’t throw out the carpets just yet – carpet beetles can be removed by pest control professionals; and there are ways to keep them at bay so this doesn’t happen to you again. But before we dive into the solutions that can be used to treat a carpet beetle situation, let’s first learn all about those tiny creatures.
What are carpet beetles?
Carpet beetles (Anthrenus verbasci) are a common species of beetles which can often be found as pests in domestic houses: the beetles’ larvae can cause damage not only to carpets, but also to clothing and furniture. Carpet beetles have round bodies, parts of which are covered in scales, and their color is an irregular pattern of yellow, brown and white patches.
How big are carpet beetles?
Carpet beetles are 1.7 to 3.5 millimeters long. Surprisingly, the larvae are bigger than adult beetles: the wooly, elongated larvae are 4 to 5 millimeters long.
Where do carpet beetles come from?
Carpet beetles are very common and they live in a variety of environments – not just carpets! However, they prefer areas with low humidity as their eggs develop best in dry areas. They can found in most of Europe, in North Africa, in the Mediterranean countries and the Middle East, in North Asia (Russia, China, etc.), and in North and Central America. So as you can see, they’re pretty much everywhere. They can easily enter your home through openings such as doors and windows, or on plants and flowers that are brought inside.
What causes carpet beetles?
To understand what causes carpet beetles, you must first understand what attracts carpet beetles. The secret lies in their food preferences. These beetles like to eat animal-based items, such as wool, fur, leather, animal hair and silk. Understandably, this attracts them to upholstered furniture, clothing, blankets and of course – carpets. But why are carpet beetles also found in synthetic carpets, which are not made of animal materials? Well, synthetic carpets (like other carpets) often absorb food, oil, perspiration and other organic materials from their surroundings.
If you’re wondering now, “But where do carpet beetles hide?” – they’re not necessarily hiding, they’re simply so small, and their carpet habitat is so good in hiding them, that sometimes it’s difficult to spot them until they’ve become numerous.
What kills carpet beetles?
You obviously don’t want your home to be infested with carpet beetles and their larvae, so what’s the best way to get rid of them? Well, it depends on the situation. If you haven’t seen carpet beetles at your home at all but you want to keep them away, there are some things you can do: regularly vacuum your furniture, carpets and areas where food is stored such as the pantry; store all your food either in plastic containers or in the fridge; dust your home thoroughly on a regular basis; and check for pests and insects on plants and flowers before bringing them inside your house.
However, if you already have carpet beetles in your home, your best option is to contact pest control professionals. After they’ve eliminated the beetles, be sure to follow the procedures in the previous paragraph so they don’t come back. Good luck!
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