Carpet Beetle Larva
There are no uninteresting insects, only insects that are insufficiently magnified
S_ found this little larva while cleaning out a cupboard. It was in the back of the shelf, happily chowing down on a dead ant.
So far, it just looks like your typical little thing with lots of legs. Let’s zoom in a bit:
Ah, that’s better. Now we can see that it doesn’t actually have lots of legs, what it does have is a lot of bristles that stick almost straight out, or maybe angled a bit towards the head. There are also two tufts of bristles on the tail.
On the underside, we can see the actual legs, which aren’t really a lot longer than the bristles. It also has bristles on the bottom of the abdomen that give it an amusing, needs-a-shave sort of look. Note that, unlike butterfly and moth caterpillars, it does not have prolegs on the abdomen (beetle larvae do not have prolegs, only the six true legs). We can see the legs a bit better in the next picture, where it is trying to flip itself over:
At first, I thought that this was a larva of a larder beetle, like this one I posted a few months ago. But, looking at it more closely (particularly the tufts of bristles on the abdomen), I think its actually a carpet beetle, probably genus Anthrenus . I’ve been finding these Buffalo Carpet Beetles around the house, and so there is a good chance that this larva would have grown up to be one of them. Larder beetles and carpet beetles are all types of dermestid beetles, but while the larder beetle is more into stored foodstuffs, the carpet beetles are rather keen on animal proteins that are normally considered indigestible (hair, wool, feathers, skin, exoskeletons of other insects, that sort of thing).
Carpet beetles are evidently one of those species from arid or semi-arid regions that have moved into the house environment. They are adapted to a lack of water, and so can manage in spite of the dryness of the average house. Their original environment was apparently bird and mammal nests, where they ate the bits of debris that the inhabitants shed (and, in cases where the inhabitants died, ate what was left of their mummified corpses after the flies and carrion beetles were done with them. Once the dermestid beetles finish, they leave nothing behind but the polished bones of the animals’ dry, articulated skeletons)[1]. Basically, these beetles are still living in mammal nests, it’s just that these nests are now our houses instead of a hole in the ground with, say, a badger living in it.
As I mentioned in the larder beetle entry, the diet of dermestid beetles makes them real murder on things like insect collections, taxidermy, wool products, natural-fiber carpets, and museum specimens. They are also likely to be around regardless of how clean you keep your house. Even if the carpets are synthetic fibers, there are always bits of dead skin and hair, miscellaneous organic dirt, and the remains of insects that got in, couldn’t hack the indoors environment, and died. They’re in overlooked corners, under beds, in carpets, you name it. I even found one crawling across the ceiling in a very new house downstate which has only two people living in it and no pets, and is kept scrupulously clean. Seek and ye shall find, and all that. They are there, somewhere. Count on it.
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[1] A while back, we were doing some work on the walls in the house, and found a perfect mouse skeleton. Not a trace of hair, flesh, or skin, just a complete and undamaged skeleton still posed in its original owner’s final death throes. The dermestid beetles had obviously been at it.
Andy:
I like this one. Amazing larva photos for one thing. And a cool, ominous last paragraph.
One thing I’m wondering – are the bristles tough and spiky, or soft and flexible?
2 February 2008, 11:19 pmTim Eisele:
The bristles are kind of stiff. I saw one person claim that, in some species, when they feel threatened they puff up the two tufts on the tail to make themselves more irritating to eat (although this one didn’t do that).
Susannah:
I just discovered your blog. It’s been added to my blogroll.
This was a very informative post on carpet beetles. I have run across three or four in the last few years; when I identified the first, I declared war, and cleaned every bit of organic fiber I could find in the house. It was discouraging to find one again the next year, (and 2 this year; HALP!!! a 100% increase!!! .
Any websites I’ve found are all about eradication, and none about explaining the life of these critters. After reading your post, I feel better about them. (But I’ll still make sure all woolens are properly protected.)
Oh, and wonderful pics! I’ve tried, but need a better lens for such tiny beasties.
3 February 2008, 9:39 pmSusannah:
Just discovered something about this comment form. It doesn’t take jokey inserts, at least in the format I used.
That HALP!!!… bit in the previous comment was tongue-in-cheek.
3 February 2008, 9:41 pmTim Eisele:
Thanks! I guess there are two schools of thought about the idea that the carpet beetles are always around: (1) being creeped out, and (2) being resigned.
Actually, looking over your blog, you seem to do pretty well photographing these sorts of things.
Wanderin_Weeta:
Orr (3) being fascinated.
Thanks for the kind words about my photos. I am having a lot of fun with them.
5 February 2008, 7:25 amK T Cat:
Another great post! I love your stuff and threw you a link.
9 February 2008, 8:58 amSandy:
If you really want to find lots of these, follow these steps:
-Shoot a deer
-Have the butcher cut off the part of the skull with the antlers
-Leave “the trophy” in an unsealed plastic bag on your porch for a year or two
The good part is that they do all the cleaning for you.
18 February 2008, 1:21 pmTerrell Shaw:
Just wanted to let you know we linked to this article in the March issue of Learning in the Great Outdoors. Thanks!
http://aloneonalimb.blogspot.com/2008/03/learning-in-great-outdoors-10.html
3 March 2008, 11:50 pmCarpet Beetle HATER:
I think I am a clean person. I keep a tidy house, vacuum once a week, wash my floors once a week, wash my clothes and bedding once a week.
I have noticed a few carpet beetle larvae in my house (split level). Mostly upstairs, in my bedroom of all places. And a few in the living room.
After doing a few hours of internet research, I frantically tore my bedroom apart, and I was finding them in my dressers, closet floor, behind my bed, and in the corners. UGH! I immediately washed all the clothes (7 hours worth), took my mattress and box-spring to the dump. I vacuumed 4 times, the baseboards and floor, shampooed the carpet, sprayed carpet beetle bug spray, then headed to the furniture store and bought a new bedset and mattress set. My old bedset was a waterbed frame. I will never again have a bedset I can’t see under!
Next day I started on the living room, thankfully I have laminate flooring. I only found a couple larvae on the floor, BUT…… I saw one come out of the loveseat!!! I took the living room furniture to the dump, vacuumed 4 times, washed the floor, sprayed bug spray, and once again headed to the furniture store.
It took 3 straight days of cleaning and laundering – 12 hours each day, 24 loads of laundry, and $3,000 in new furniture. And countless clothing and blankets thrown away. I may have gone a little over board, but I can’t stand the thought of those things crawling around. I looked at one with a magnifying glass – they are GROSS!
And to know that they lay up to 90 eggs in 10 – 25 days, and that the larvae cycle is 180 – 620 days (depending on the carpet beetle type), who knows how many tens of thousands could be lurking behind the baseboards or other areas I can’t get to. The only good part is that the adult beetle lives only 2 – 6 weeks (again depending on the type).
I still found 1 yesterday, and 1 today. Today I will start the process all over again – downstairs.
All in all, I feel much better and believe I can get rid of them. But maybe not forever. I have 2 dogs and a cat (who happen to sleep in my bedroom). These little bugs are hitchhikers, much like the centipede (didn’t need that on top of all this!) that hitched a ride in on my black lab the other morning.
7 July 2008, 3:08 pmJulie Baker:
Has anyone had extensive damage to their clothing? My clothes feel like they have dust in them. My satins have snags and areas that look thinner and eaten away. There are yellowish and orange stains in many things that won’t come out. When I launder them (hot wash & dry) they get massive amounts of snags and lint balls. It also seems like they don’t all come out in the laundry. I have started keeping the stuff that’s not ruined in lock tight containers. Also wondering if anyone is allergic to them(I believe I am) and what do you do for it? I’ve found adult varied carpet beetles and darker colored ones maybe a black? I find little orange colored things on my bed, in my clothes, as well as blackish c shaped hard things, tiny stiff hairs, off white waxy balls and hard white salt like debris. All of these things burn my skin when it comes into contact. It often leaves open areas and itchy rashes. They get in my hair and burn my scalp. I have to go through it with lice combs and thoroughly wash every night. My sleep is disturbed as I feel like things are crawling on me. I have sprayed tempo all over the place. I think they may be in the foam that’s in my mattress. My vinyl covers have chew like holes in them. I have a dog & cat and I find the same debris in their shed fur. I have vaccummed our hardwood floors with the crevice tool and flashlight, anally getting every hair. Two days later it’s back just as bad. How do you keep clean laundry from getting reinfested when you can only fit so much in and these things are all over? Is there a way to “bugproof one room at a time once it’s clean? I can’t sit on any fabric furniture,They have even infested my vehicle wrecking the upholstery. I sit on a piece of plastic to drive. In the house I have to carefully wash a hard plastic chair to make sure no debris is on it, and that’s all I can sit on. I don’t know if they crawl or float through the air.I can’t use towels so have to blow dry myself after a shower. I’m at my wits end. You may publish my email so if anyone has advice or has had a similar experience they can write me. Thank you.
27 July 2008, 1:55 amTim Eisele:
Since Julie Baker asked me to publish her email so that people can send advice, it is bigsue@i29.net
I don’t know what her environment is like, or exactly what the damage looks like, but I suspect that carpet beetles are not the primary cause of her problem. As far as I know, carpet beetles mainly eat things like wool, poorly-tanned leather, bits of other insects, skin flakes, and hair. They evidently aren’t keen on plant fibers (which are mostly cellulose), so I wouldn’t expect them to bother satin, linen, or cotton very much (if at all). They certainly shouldn’t be chewing holes in vinyl, or bothering synthetic fabrics. I’d be inclined to think that the main problem in Julie Baker’s case would be some combination of fungus and dust mites. Maybe carpet beetles are present to eat the bodies of the dust mites, but I wouldn’t think they’d be directly causing this level of damage themselves. Also, dust mites and fungus have much more of a reputation for causing allergic reactions than carpet beetles do. If the humidity level is high, this would tend to promote fungus growth and make it possible for dust mites to thrive. Maybe trying to reduce the humidity would help.
Kristie E:
They certainly do eat plant fibers. I have just spent $4,000 getting rid of these things. They were in my dirty laundry bins, eating the food stains on my kids’ cotton t-shirts. I threw away 30-40 t-shirts (I have three boys) as well as three of my husbands wool suits, and more. I was at my wit’s end until I figured out what was going on.
I had exterminators come and spray cracks and crevices and I laundered absolutely everything in my house, took my three wool rugs to be cleaned and pest treated ($200 each) and 75 items to the dry cleaners. It was hell. Expensive hell. It seemed to have taken care of it. We treated in April, it is now August. But I found two yesterday. Bug guys coming back tomorrow. I think I brought them back in on a new wool rug. I can’t believe how awful this is, AND that no one else knows what I’m talking about. The first pest control company just sprayed my carpet. The next one knew their stuff. Interview your pest control company and make sure they have a specialist. And I live in GEORGIA! This is the bug capital of the WORLD!
Good luck.
7 August 2008, 6:40 amTamie:
This spring I started finding tiny beetles crawling on my carpet in every room of the house. My daughter and I had been finding holes eaten in our clothing (mostly undergarments and pajamas) for several months. After looking at these bugs with a magnifying glass I identified them as carpet beetles. After a few weeks, I stopped seeing the live beetles and now I have tiny black “specks” all over the carpet, things that look like old beetle parts and skins, but most troubling is now our undergarments, pjs, blankets, towels etc. are covered in “lint” and “picked” spots to the point that they are ruined. Does anyone know what is the cause of the lint and picks? Help!
28 August 2008, 8:21 amMr. Romero:
I Have genus anthrenus in my house , How can I get ride of them?
3 October 2008, 8:27 pmCan any body help me?
The Thorntonies:
We have noticed several of the same carpet beetle larvae that you have pictured above, but NOT any of the beetles themselves. Do you have any input as to how this might be possible? Also, what is the best method to get rid of them when I don’t seem to see a ’source’ (ex: the actual beetle)? Thank you for your help!
16 October 2008, 10:06 pmTim Eisele:
Now that you mention it, I don’t think I’ve seen the adults hanging around much with the larvae. I think that what happens is, as soon as the larvae mature and get their wings, they scatter to look for mates and new food sources. I usually find the larvae right there with food, but all the adults I’ve seen have been wandering around at random.
The best way to keep their numbers down (I don’t think there really is a way to completely “get rid of them” other than, say, autoclaving your whole house) is probably just to keep potential food items in sealed plastic containers, keep everything scrupulously dry, sweep up pet hairs carefully, and maybe have your carpets steam-cleaned. And then try to relax when you see them from time to time at a low level anyway.
Jaque:
wow thanks for posting that. I just found one on my wall and was concerned having never heard of or seen one before. Other than annoying for what they eat, they aren’t a threat though correct?
12 November 2008, 5:43 amsaw the comment you made about the tuft fluffing when threatened, this one did do that. I went to put him in a bottle and he did that.
marie:
i just recently had my carpets shampooed and am wondering if this could cause the growth of larvae? I have never had them in the 4 years that i’ve lived here. i mostly notice them under the cat bed, under a couple of the floor pillows and under the hamper in the laundry room. Additionally, since the carpets have been cleaned, I’ve been sneezing every time I enter my house and my allergies have worsened. I thought that maybe it was from the chemicals left behind from the carpet cleaning, but know I’m wondering if these larvae are the cause. can they be the cause of allergies?
thanks!
13 November 2008, 7:04 pmKim:
Wow! I am either heartened or depressed to hear so many versions of our story. We just had the exterminator in and they are going to treat for these suckers, but in many ways the damage is done. I can’t really afford to trash all our furniture, mattresses, etc.
To the person who said that the might survive the laundry, I can corroborate that. I saw one in the lint catcher one time at the end of the dryer cycle. I’m hoping that is a rare occurrence.
13 November 2008, 7:25 pmTim Eisele:
Marie: the shampooing might have had something to do with it, particularly if the carpet stayed a bit moist for many days. The lack of water is what normally keeps insects from thriving in houses, so a slightly damp carpet could easily have given them a chance to hatch out a bunch of eggs. There could be mold issues, too, which could be aggravating your allergies.
Kim: our house is an old farmhouse that is impossible to keep clean, and while we always have some carpet beetles around, they never get too numerous to deal with. I think as long as their potential food sources are kept dry, they will stay pretty much under control.
Patricia B:
I think I also have the same pesty critters. I have found many of these bugs, and they are driving me absolutely buggy!
15 November 2008, 12:30 pmWhen I find one, I go crazy searching to find more. I think we originally got them either in a new couch or new rugs we purchased a few years ago. I do notice that they like material, furniture, and rugs. I have even found them in boxes we store seasonal decorations in up in our attic. I think they are common, but it creeps me out to think they are in my house!
We’ve even received some of the skins in a bag of hand me downs from a neighbor, so I think many homes have them.(It’s just that not everyone notices them.)
I often find these little hairy bugs crawling up our walls.(They are very delicate and pop if you squish them. I have found these skin sheds in materials, and a few times long silky worms in the carpets. I have 3 specimens in a ziplock bag, in just 2 days they are leaving black specks behind. Are these eggs or poops? I’m sure they contribute to our allergies, as my whole family has allergies and or asthma and we are always getting sick with upper respiratory infections. Does anyone know if these larvae turn to worms and can they turn to moths? I have never found any beetles in our home. Do you notice them more at certain times of the year? These past few weeks, I have recently noticed more of them crawling up the walls and have been catching a few moths over the past week.
Kim:
Tim – thanks for the answer. We had an exterminator in for a yellowjacket nest in our attic, and he gave us an invoice to “c/c” for the “varied carpet beetles” (which is how I ended up googling and ultimately commenting on this post). I have no idea what c/c is but we’re going to have him do it – we do have these little guys pretty numerously and the clothes in my closet have been getting holes.
We also have a very old house. When I told my mother about the yellowjackets, she said “did they patch up the hole they got in?” to which I felt it was appropriate to say “this house is made of holes.”
I am mainly worried now about getting rid of the carcasses. If they are in stuff like comforters or stuffed animals, I don’t know what I’m going to do… despair, I suppose.
15 November 2008, 7:31 pmMelissa:
I live in a student housing area near a university and we just found the larvae all over our upstairs carpet. Like everyone else they seem to be on the perimeter of the walls, near hair, etc. Unfortunately, I have borrowed a friends bed for this year (as she is living in a furnished apartment that did not require a bed and i needed one) so I am really freaked out that these larvae are going to ruin her mattress. Can they really burrow inside of the mattress? Is changing the carpet a solution? I am a college student and absolutely cannot afford to get all new clothes and a new mattress! What should I do?
Also, if I do need to replace all these things…does anyone know if this is somehow a health code issue that I could address with my landlord? Clearly these bugs were here before I moved in and the landlord did not competently clean before re-leasing the house. PLEASE HELP!
3 December 2008, 9:57 pmNicci:
I live in scotland and live in a renovated flat in which is at the top floor in a block, i first noticed the little worm type things which looked like little catterpillers but brownish/black when i had my cat as i noticed them come out under the skirting board towards my cats food bowl, i dont have my cat anymore but have since then found even more here and there, i noticed when i moved my bed one time i found a family of them feeding on what appeared to be a yoghurt drink that my son had spilt and i had clearly not cleaned it properly as it had gone under the bed! I freaked out and have only now realised what they are while browsing online. I get very nervous at the thought of them crawling around my house, they always seem to be wherever i move an item of furniture. I now know why i found an adult beetle in my washing machine as i now realise they go for your laundry. I am now too scared to go into my laundry basket! Does anyone know if you can get a spray of somekind that i can use to put near my laundry basket to kill them before i empty the basket as the thought of them really freak me out! I also have been informed that my neighbour has the problem too, she lives below me, im starting to wonder if they have came from the attic outside my front door as i heard a while back there were pigeons in there that had to be taken care of and wonder if they have came from any dead ones as i now know they thrive on dead animals etc! I also want to know if i should tell my landlord as its a private company who im rented from? HELP?
17 December 2008, 6:35 pmcc:
One summer these things (the speckled carpet beetle looking thing)appeared in my car.
14 January 2009, 3:43 amYear after year they come back in the summer.
Totally freaky they are HORRIBLE critters by sight and finally I am junking my car because I don’t want to see them ever again. Strange and thankfully they never appeared in my house. I think I might’ve gone even MORE crazy.
EVIL little bugs.
Mom with a Biology degree:
You’re website made it easy to ID the larvae that I’ve seen in several of the homes we’ve lived in. We currently live in a suburb of Austin, TX. It’s very dry here and the carpet was brand new a year ago (when we bought the house it was installed).
I’m not a cleaning psychopath like some people who throw all their furniture away when they spot an insect. I understand that bugs have their place in nature and they often take up residence with humans by mistake. My concern and question relates to allergies. We have two small children and I’m wondering if these insects are allergenic? My husband & I both have allergies anyway, so what can we do to cut down their numbers? Would laminate floors help?
Thanks!
19 January 2009, 2:15 pmTim Eisele:
The little hairs on the larvae are supposed to be irritating (and can cause gastrointestinal problems if you accidentally swallow them), so I would expect that they are allergens, too, like dust mites and cockroach bits. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to clear them out. And personally, I think that carpets are kind of filthy things even if they aren’t filled with insects, so replacing them with a hard, easily-cleanable floor like laminate should certainly help. We have some areas of the house with laminate flooring, and it is *way* easier to keep clean than any carpet.
Julie Baker:
I can say with 99% certainty that dermestids are allergenic. I’ve been suffering with carpet beetles and larder beetles since June. I’ve had an exterminator in three times. I’ve asked for fumigation but no one around here does that. This guy is checking with his partner to see if they can get someone to come here. I’m losing hope. My symptoms grow worse as time passes. I’ve found numerous Larvae, like the pics above and other larvae that looks different shaped and has black and orange coloring but still has the hairs. Also ones that look like the top of an exclamation point with a tuft of hairs at the end where the period would be, they’re pretty small. These things feel like a cockle burr in my washed clothing if I don’t remove them all from both sides of every garment with tape prior to washing. To my husband they just feel like a lint ball. I too, have found them in the dryer lint trap and even in the seal on the dryer door. I keep all my clothes on our 3 season porch (frozen) We live in ND.
25 January 2009, 1:18 amSome have even survived this. I found them in the lining of my leather coat. I have gouged areas in my scalp that look like something is eating it. It burns like fire and it’s hell to wash. When I comb my hair with nit combs I get larva shaped scabs, black ones and orange ones. They are carrot shaped. Also what looks like the beetles themselves. When I vacuum them if any get on my bare skin I develop an open area within minutes. I’ll feel something and look down to see blood running down my leg. If any part of them are on my clothes or shoes I get open sores in that area and a burning sensation. It hurts like hell, worse than my open abdominal surgery. I spend hours hanging over my bathtub removing these things from my hair before washing it, crying and wishing I had the guts to off myself. I wear a shower cap to sleep and use a rubber inflatable pillow. In the AM I find little black and reddish black specks inside and out of the shower cap. Always the same shapes. Over a few days there are chew holes and slit like trails of missing fabric. One of the new holes is exactly the shape of the larva. I find them on top of my blanket every morning and have to remove them with lint roll tape. I have to do the whole bed before getting in to sleep. I have trouble eating and have lost 30lbs since July. I have bruises under the open sores. I find black things in my nose and ears. I get nose bleeds almost daily. Now I am having bloody stools. I have thrown up blood tinged food when forcing myself to eat. Don’t know if these things are in my food or if it’s all the NSAID’s I’m taking. Just found out I’m anemic too now. My allergist agrees that all the evidence points to these creatures. (I brought her over 12 bottles filled with larvae and bugs at various life stages. Labeled with dates collected and where I found them) The college entomologist ID’d them as various dermestids, including larder and several types of carpet beetles. They are in all my clothes. They don’t care what type of fabric it is.I’ve thrown tons of clothes away. They leave a dusty icky feeling to the fabric as well as thinned areas some little holes here and there and lint balls galore. I moved out of my good bed onto an air mattress on a frame and use a 100% polyester fleece blanket.I fold the end to cover my feet. that’s the only fabric on the bed. It doesn’t seem to matter. I find a granular substance that’s like salt, larval hair and tiny parts in each crack under the blanket. I find cast skins all over the house. I find all this crap on the floors and under the dog’s bed too. He had a patch of hair on his neck flap eaten away. I have patches of body hair eaten away too. Roots and all. Layers of my skin is missing in patches too. Especially areas infested clothing have had contact with. I’ll wear it out a few hours thinking it’s safe and come home to find areas of skin eaten away and flakes fly all over when I take the garment off. They’re even in my socks and shoes. I have to clean them with tape before and after wearing them. These bugs like adhesives too. I find them on my clear tape, lint roll tape and I found varied carpet beetles on the sticky side of the tape holding a sign on our screen door. I’ve been to my PCP several times, many ER visits for the severe burning pain (body will burn too) have to take clothes off. torso will be really hot to touch while feet cold. Sometimes I run a temp. I’ve seen 6 shrinks thanks to ER docs thinking I’m nuts and not bothering to examine me or treat my pain. An internal med doc, two allergists and a dermatologist. This last allergist is the only one who knew about this stuff. She wanted to do an antigen test followed by rush immunotherapy, but no lab has the antigen or immunotherapy serum or the bugs to make them. I have plenty of the bugs, but the labs say they can only accept them from approved suppliers, and the suppliers don’t have any either (Allergist and I have both phoned all over USA) and her office isn’t licensed to make the stuff. (cdc site has antigen prep recipe, I gave her) We are going to try an IgE test and if it’s up she’ll give me xolair treatments. It’s something.Don’t know if it’ll help but I sure hope so. The antihistamines and steroids haven’t helped. I’ve tried going to hotels but that only works in the summer as I have to wear only a sundress and flip flops and put everything in locktight containers. When I got to the door I’d take off my shoes and put them in a locked container. The second I got in the room door, off with the dress and into another locked container, then straight to the tub to wash the outside of all the containers so what’s in the vehicle didn’t get on them. Then a bath and hair wash with lice killing shampoo. I’d soak in the hottest water I could stand for several hours to be sure they were dead. I’d bring new clothes that I’d buy and place in the lock boxes right in the store. That’s the only way. Other times I just brought the bugs with me. It really sucks. I don’t even know what to do anymore. Since I’ve tried cleaning and local exterminators.(the entomologist said tent fumigation was necessary as they get in upholstery of all furniture and even the crawlspace insulation) If I moved I’d have to go nude and ditch everything including husband, vehicles and pets. Can’t really do that. I’m very desperate and will travel anywhere that they can help me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. You may email my private address if you wish. Thanks.
Brandy:
Over the last several days my 3 year-old son has awoken each morning with what appears to be some kind of insect bite on his beautiful little face. AAWWWW! HE recently fell and scuffed up his mouth so at first I just thought the red spots by his mouth were from drool or something. Then they showed up by his eye. At that point I thought it was a spider so I striped off and washed his linens. I thought I was in the clear but the next day, more red spots. At first I thought they must be chicken pox because I’d washed his linens but then later I noticed a couple of small red streaks coming from the spots. Clearly an insect bite. Now I was really serious! I had to figure out what was biting my baby! His bed doesn’t have a headboard just a frame and is pushed up against the corner so I striped his bed layer by layer and pulled the bed away from the wall to investigate. Saw some dust and one small dusty webbed area. There is a foam pad between the boxsprings and the mattress and upon closer examination I noticed what appears to be foam dust at the edge of the boxsprings. When I came back to take a closer look with a flashlight I noticed bugs on the boxsprings under the bedskirt that goes over the boxsprings. I captured 3 of the little creatures for further study and started my online investigation. My first thought was bed bugs but these didn’t look anything like the images of bed bugs I was seeing. I did a search for “bugs in bed” and started seeing possibilities. I couldn’t decide if it was a warehouse beetle larva or carper beetle larva though, they look so similar in many pictures. (I’ve seen the occasional bug in some old dried goods in the pantry so that threw me off.) Then I found your website! Thank you, thank you, thank you! The pictures are amazing! They are definitely carpet beetle larva! Now of course, I’ve got to thoroughly clean the entire room but at least I know what I’m doing battle with. After cleaning and vacuuming, will a bug fogger finish off the job or are they too embedded for that to be effective? What’s the best way to rid the boxsprings and mattress of the little buggers? Also, except for Julie’s comments no one else seems to say anything about these things biting people. I’m almost positive these are what’s been nibbling on my sons face. He likes to sleep with his face up against the wall right at the edge of the bed. What else could it be?
29 January 2009, 4:39 amBrandy:
Thanks again for the great pictures that helped me identify the little creatures I found under my son’s mattress. I was going out of my mind trying to clean everything and protect him from these bugs that seemed to hunt him down even when I moved him to another room to sleep. No matter what I did, every morning he still woke up with more bites. I cleaned his room meticulously and then used not one but two bug foggers (not at the same time)in my futile attempt to save him from these bugs. At my wit’s end, I finally took him to the doctor today. Turns out what I thought were bug bites are impetigo so he’s on amoxicillin for the next 10 days. It all started when he fell and scuffed up his mouth. Anyway, I just thought I would let everyone know in case I can save someone from pulling their hair out from frustration. The bonus is we nipped a carpet beetle infestation in the bud before they could do too much damage. Thanks again!
4 February 2009, 1:40 amTim Eisele:
Thanks for the follow-up, Brandy! It’s good to find out how these things are resolved. Bug bites are fantastically easy to confuse with a lot of other skin problems – after all, one raised red spot on the skin looks an awful lot like another. A surprisingly large number of “insect and spider bites” turn out ultimately to be some type of skin infection or small splinter injury.
Nathalie Jamois:
Oh me god :/
Think I’m infested too
Thanks for the great info!
23 February 2009, 4:36 pmKrista:
Thanks for the pictures and information. I started finding the “nymphs” a while back and have been scouring the internet for months trying to figure out what they are. I only saw them sporatically so I didn’t really worry. I am not super creeped out by them. I have 2 small dogs and vaccuum once a week. I keep a pretty clean house. Anyway, today I was cleaning out a drawer and found what I think may be our “source” and it had larger ones on it. That’s how I finally solved the mystery. I bagged up the source, threw it in the trash, cleaned out the drawer really well, and feel better. I also recently sprayed around the house with a dryspray called Bengel Gold. After that I stopped seeing the nymphs, too. The stuff kills/sterilizes everything. I have dogs and they aren’t bothered by it when I spray in the house even though I keep them away while spraying. After I sprayed, I did find quite a few dead ones but once I vacuumed them up, that was the end. Hope this is helpful.
25 February 2009, 12:18 pmJulie Baker:
Where did you get the bengel Gold spray? What are the active ingredients? The sprays I’ve used so far don’t seem to work. I used Tempo Ultra SC (Cyfluthrin) and Ant killer that has carpet beetles on the can as being controlled by it, and the exterminator used Bifenthrin 0.06% with an insect growth regulator. I found Ortho Bug Max Pro at the hardware store and the active ingredient is Bifenthrin 0.05%, so I wasted 75.00 to the exterminator for something I could buy for $8.00 and do myself- it didn’t work anyway. Recently I found case making clothes moth larvae. All were cast cases and the larva moved on somewhere. Also had a tiny bug on the back of the bath tub a few nights ago, when I tried to get closer look it either hopped or flew away. We had collembola springtails all over the outside of our house (many inside too) this past summer so I’m wondering if a few of those survived. They apparently love fungus and we had mold under the wallpaper where the roof leaked. My biofeedback lady sent me a copy of a book page that described a case where a woman had a fungal infection and these bugs laid eggs on her head and ate her skin and hair. She thought they might be what’s bothering me because of my candida syndrome which is a systemic yeast infection. The doctor treated the lady in the case with essential oils, so I’ve purchased these and plan to try, but would love to kill the dermestids that I know for a fact are here based on this site’s pics and entomologist id. Cover all my bases. Thanks. julie
26 February 2009, 6:46 amTracy:
We have been infested with these little blighters since before we moved in …. ie. they were here before us…
They didn’t actually come out of hiding until the summer after we moved in, and by then they were everywhere.
All we’ve been told to do by our local environmental health is to hoover them out…. basically we’re into our 3rd year of sending boxes and bags to the dump and hoovering every crack and crevice almost daily…
We seem to have rounded them to our bedroom, but still every day we go into the upstairs with hoovers and hell do we work…. every piece of furniture is moved daily… and the carpet is pulled up weekly… every crack and corner is hoovered…. bedding and clothing is washed on a hot wash were possible and badly contaminated clothes or those we can’t hot wash get bagged up and frozen…. before defrosting and washing…. apparantly high and low temperatures can kill them.
It’s hard and thankless work… but hey… if we get to our 5th year the council will move us to an uninfested house… although I have a feeling we’ll take them with us in the furniture..
Anyways back to hoovering.
2 March 2009, 7:57 amKim:
I have lived in several apartments where carpet beetle larva were a problem. I have now moved into an older farm house with my twin 8 month old boys and have started to notice the redish, brown, striped worm like larva around baseboards. I have completely freaked out by this which over the years has grown into a carpet fobia of mine. Has anyone treated their carpet beetle problems with small infants in the house. I am afraid to use some sprays and cleaning products because of my children. Please I need some advice before my fobia makes me move again.
17 March 2009, 11:56 pmJB:
Great site, and photos. I have had carpet beetles twice now, in two different houses. They are awful to get rid of, but my personal feeling is that many people have them and just don’t know what they are. They think the adult beetles are “baby ladybugs”! My teenage daughter saw some adult beetles on her closet door last week, and, because we have had carpet beetles in a previous house, I knew immediately what they were. Our house in general is clean, but her room has always been very messy. In fact, I had not seen inside her closet in two years… Indeed, the larvae were in her closet clothes, and we even found some adults inside her dresser drawers. So the good thing is that she emptied her room, I washed every article of clothing she owns, she threw away a lot of “stuff”, we bought a new mattress which she needed anyway, and we even repainted the room from an awful pink to a nice green. She has renounced her slob-like ways, and I think carpet beetles are a small price to pay for that! I had some success in the past by giving everything a thorough cleaning, vacuuming the crevices in all dressers, spraying bug spray along baseboards, and then putting cedar sachets in the drawers and closets. I hate the larvae, but at least they are mostly harmless.
2 April 2009, 5:34 pmcarole:
what do u do when u buy new furniture with bug in it and they bit and make u and your dog very sick now they r all through the house please help i dont know what to do i bought it at value city in pa
25 June 2009, 2:31 pmJB:
Carpet beetles don’t bite, at least not as far as I have ever heard. If something is biting you, maybe you have something else — my guess is that it could be bedbugs? I would call an exterminator to get a positive identification. Good luck!
25 June 2009, 6:55 pmthe LADY:
Why can’t in this day and age a remedy for getting rid of this pest be found? My closet and dressers are infested and my clothes are clean! I am afraid to buy any woolens anymore because of this, they eat through wool and cotton the most.
27 June 2009, 5:16 pmLois:
Wow I dont feel alone any more . My house is being taken over by carpet beetles just as everyone has described. And they are in my scalp..tried everything to get them out. I have had Truly nolan here to get rid of them 3 times but to no avail, I have a dog and 2 cats and I see the lettle balck shells left were ever they lay down there in the beds clothes …I am ready to knock this house down and move..I had extensions in my hair I think thats how they got in my head i was itchy and removed them and was left with bumps under my scalp and my hair keeps getting shorter,I am going to my skin Dr this week…also having a different bug company come out ..I have gotten rid of good rugs , bedding, clothing,I have done everything they say washing, cleaning,everything is in plastic i cant live like this.. these things are horrible..how do we get rid of them and in my head…and the house ..ready to move and start new with everything…over it in florida Lois..
28 June 2009, 3:07 pmBrooke:
I have these little black bugs ALL over my house. I don’t know what they are but they seem to go on my bed and blankets and into the bathwater. When I was little I called them my friends lol
and they don’t bite.
12 July 2009, 11:00 amMansi:
Hello,
We recently moved into an apartment in New York City and have since then been battling black carpet beetles. When I first saw these, I got the building exterminators to come in and spray specifically for these insects. This flushed out more larva and adults. Basically in the last 3 weeks, our apartment has been sprayed thrice by exterminators and I’m still seeing adult beetles (these are small though so they may have just hatched) and larvae.
I have been vacuuming regularly and I think I flushed out the ones in the kitchen and bedroom. I am careful to not leave any crumbs/food outside.
My question is this: should I get the exterminators in again or is this slow flushing out normal? Also, there is a gap between the floors and the baseboards in this apartment – will caulking it help?
I appreciate you taking the time to read this and would be grateful for any advice – I fell like I’m under attack and have no idea what else to do – I can’t sleep and have lost weight due to this problem. Both my husband and I have also developed sinus problems – I don’t know if this is a related issue.
Thank you very much.
Best,
24 July 2009, 2:27 pmMansi:
PS: I have nightmares of being surrounded by beetles while sitting on my sofa (too much TV)and have been cleaning it regularly – is there a way to check if it is infested? Without ripping the whole thing apart I mean
Also, is there something I can spray on it that’s safe for humans?
24 July 2009, 2:35 pmTim Eisele:
Mansi;
Well, first of all, I would recommend just taking a deep breath, and relaxing. Carpet beetles are harmless, aside from maybe being allergenic to some people. It sounds to me like the main physical harm that they cause to people’s health, is stress-related problems due to worrying about them. They can physically damage some things like certain clothing items, but I believe that has been addressed in the earlier comments. I personally would be much more concerned about the stuff the exterminators are spraying around, than about the beetles.
In an apartment situation, I expect that you are always going to have some beetles coming in from other apartments. Also, if the building is not new, there is probably enough stuff accumulated in the walls, ceiling, and floor joists that the beetles are living off of that. If you ever have a chance to see someone doing a remodelling job, have a look at what is in the walls and you’ll see what I mean. I would recommend just vacuuming regularly in the places that you see them, and try to come to terms with their presence.
Regarding the small ones versus the large ones: all beetles are adults and have stopped growing by the time they become beetles, so the small ones are not just-hatched: they matured from larvae just like the bigger ones did. I expect that either they are another species of beetle altogether, or their growth was stunted, possibly due to a lack of food. If they are stunted, this would be a good sign for you: this could mean that you have been successful in depriving them of food sources. Once there is no longer enough for them to eat, the adults will go elsewhere to lay their eggs, and your numbers should drop.
To check for infestation in a couch, I’d just look underneath it. If there are larvae living in it, they would be falling to the floor, so they would be easy to spot. The way most couches are designed, I wouldn’t expect them to be inside the cushions, they should be on or near the surface (where skin flakes and food crumbs would be), so they should be easy enough to vacuum out.
As for the sinus problems, you’ll have to talk to your doctor about that. When it happens to me, it is usually because of dry air.
Mansi:
Thanks Tim – I appreciate the reassurance. I’ll try to practice some deep-breathing to calm down
I guess I am over-reacting because I’ve never seen bugs anywhere I’ve lived before. And just when I thought I was winning the battle against the larvae, there’s another generation of adults hatching!! Aargh!! I’m going to try boric acid and vacuuming before I get more chemicals in my home.
Thanks again!!
25 July 2009, 10:25 amDM:
Tim – A few people mentioned the carpet beetles/larvae got into their scalp. What is your reply to this – do you think it’s likely? I’m asking because a few months ago my scalp started itching and we didn’t find any indication of bugs/lice in my hair. I had 3-4 scabs on my head that continued to itch more than dry scalp (I have very sensitive skin so that could be the problem too – it’s just never been so bad as to get scabs). I’m a very clean person and thought maybe I was using too much clarifying shampoo. My local health store (New Seasons) recommended I use coconut oil on my scalp and that stopped the itching and soothed my scalp. I’ve recently found a few larvae around my bed. Do you think it’s likely the carpet beetles/larvae could actually get into your scalp? By the way, I’ve found your site very helpful. I have exterminators coming tomorrow.
7 August 2009, 2:40 amTim Eisele:
I think that, if carpet beetle larvae were actually infesting the scalp, they would be impossible to miss. While they aren’t huge in absolute terms, they are absolute monsters compared to actual parasitic arthropods like fleas and head lice. I think the diagnosis of excessively harsh shampoo is far more likely.
The ones around your bed would be after hair and dead skin flakes in the dust. I personally have never seen any evidence that they molest living creatures in any way.
Robbie:
Oh, My god!!!! I have been going insane. I have never, ever, in my entire life ever lived anywhere that had a bug problem. Other people had problems but I have usually only had one or two a couple of times a year and thats it. For the first time I am renting a three bedroom house and everything was fine until about a month and a half ago. OH MY GOD!!! I had some visitors from Arizona, I live in Utah. First my cousin and her kids, a three day break and then some other friends. The house is usually pretty clean. when my cousin left I noticed this weird looking thing I thought was a water bug. I flushed it and didn’t think twice. After my second set of friends left I went to do a through cleaning and saw tons of these beetle like bugs. I vacuumed up and thought nothing more. The next thing I know they are EVERYWHERE. The entire house is carpet except small areas like the kitchen and two bathrooms. I have been scrubbing and cleaning and scrubbing and cleaning and spraying and spraying. I even put down some boric acid all along the base board. I am going insane. I can not get rid of them. We have gotten rid of our furniture, all the food in the pantry, and most of our clothes. Nothing is working. I am one person trying to do this entire house on my own and going crazy. I can’t sleep. I see bugs everywhere. Luckily it is a rental and we gave notice. However, we still have to stay here for the next couple of weeks. half my sons toys are thrown out all his stuffed toys, some very special ones, only a couple made it into the freezer for safe keeping. Every morning and night I launder whatever we are wearing before we put it on. I am exhausted. Threw away all his books because I hear the larvae can get in the book bindings. I have gotten rid of everything practically that I own. A three bedroom house has been dwindled to barely a room full of stuff. And yet I am still afraid we will carry more with us when we leave. I was going to get the carpet cleaned but now I am having second thoughts after hearing all the stuff about moisture. I have no desire to have any more hatch or to bring them with me….. there has to be something I can do to ensure they do not follow. Short of turning up at the new place naked with nothing at all I have no idea what to do…… HELLLLLLPPPP!!!!!!
12 August 2009, 3:12 amRobbie:
And so the story goes…. funny, ha, ha…..yes a joke about doing everything except show up at my next place naked. Welllllllllll, nakedness here we come. We are taking nothing and hoping like hell these things do not attach to our skin or hair or some crazy shit like that. What a nightmare.
14 August 2009, 10:51 pmnick:
i went to brush my cat today and found one of these little larvae squirming around on the brush, im not sure if it got there after i started brushing the cat or if it was already on the brush( grosses me out to think they live on the cat) i also found two dead adults near the wall but thats all i have found i cant seem to find any more but im worried it could get worse since i have found one
26 August 2009, 3:11 pmBo:
I just lost 1 tuxedo, 3 suits, 1 blazer, 1 camel hair jacket and 4 pairs of wool pants (including the ones from my wedding) to these things. This infestation in my closet must have come on fast. Like a previous post, we also just had our carpet cleaned about a week ago. Don’t know if there is a correlation. My wife and I have a very clean house and have never noticed any of these bugs in the past 3 years we have lived here. The wool material items are ruined, but the button down cotton shirts they were on appear ok. Is that to be expected or should I worry that they are on the next days menu? I am taking everything that wasn’t thrown away to the dry cleaner tomorrow. We vacuumed the infected area and sprayed with Home Defense Max. Also calling our local exterminator first thing in the AM. Is there anything else to recommend? They had spread along the baseboard close to our bed so we are a little freaked out.
26 August 2009, 11:06 pmThanks.
nicole:
omg!! so what everyone is basically saying is that no matter what u will never be able to get rid of these beetles indefinetley?? i have only just started finding them 2 month ago since then i hoover twice a day and bleach floors once a day and there seems to be no budging them! i have 3 babies under the age of 4 and im starting to get really worried about their health, does anyone know if theses critters give of a scent? as the first room i starteed finding them in was my daughters which was strange as she don’t eat in her room and there is laminate flooring too, now there is a strange smell in ther room that i cannot describe, since then i have found them under the couches, beds and in clothing! im at the end of my tether there must be someway to get rid??? helllpppppp!!
28 August 2009, 5:57 amnicole:
http://www.essortment.com/home/dermestidscarpe_syds.htm
i found this link it talks about alternative ways to get rid of them?!
28 August 2009, 6:02 amlaura:
wow i cannot belive how many people have these things! well after looking these things up i know i have them, we first found them in the kitchen over a couple of days it started like 1 or 2 a day then one night there was a few so since i have a 2 year old son i was on the computer for hours trying 2 figure out what to do. the next day i shipped of my son to his grandmas and started cleaning and i mean cleaning, evey part of my home was ripped out all bedding cleaned, curtians the lot was cleaned. i found a couple of dead ones in cuboards and a couple of damaged teddys which i threw out. then i went in my sons room and all was well at first until i moved his wardrobe and there where 3 one was dead but that was it, i threw out all his toys that were near them and scrubbed his room and pulled it apart as i did with every other room and there is nothing else, and i cannot find any more anywere i have checked every corner of this place and threw all my junk out and still no eggs or adults. so i really dont know what 2 do now, we did seal up holes where we thought they could be coming from do u think we could have cut them off? and how come we have only found our’s on the floor and some dead, i know i should be thankful but not finding them makes me think i have missed something which would be hard since i have had OCD since finding these things. please help.
30 August 2009, 4:29 amDee:
Thank goodness I found this website. I just discovered carpet beetle larvae in my house to weeks ago when changing sheets on our bed. I had never hear od these things before and I am embarrassed to ask people about it. I haven’t had a good night sleep since by discovery. My husband and I don’t know what to do. We are afraid to use pesticides because I am 7 month pregnant. We have cleaned all our clothes and are keeping them in plastic boxes. We threw out our bed and I am afraid to get a new one. I can’t live like this fovever. We have thrown out so many things!!! It breaks my heart. Has anyone heard of heating the house ( thermal remediation) for this problem?
31 August 2009, 4:19 pmTim Eisele:
“Has anyone heard of heating the house ( thermal remediation) for this problem?”
Well, now I have. Poking around a bit, it looks like thermal remediation is mainly used for bedbug control. I expect it would be fully effective on carpet beetles, too. It basically sounds like they go over the house with a heat gun. It would certainly have the advantage of leaving no pesticide residue, although some plastic items might get melted (and there is probably some small risk of setting the house on fire). There are some pros and cons given here:
Bed Bug Management (pdf)
Of course, I personally don’t think the carpet beetles are enough of a danger to warrant any treatment beyond vacuuming up hair and dirt under the bed, and storing wool or leather items in closed plastic boxes (or with mothballs). I can understand that the idea of little larvae in the bedding can be deeply creepy if you don’t like bugs, but they really aren’t going to do anything to you.
Angel:
Thanks for your comments re Carpet Beetles Tim. I have had a phobia of these bugs since I first discovered them 5 years ago! This soon developed in to severe OCD. i was totally paranoid about these things and would search for them constantly, examining lint behind baseboards, emptying out cupboards weekly, hoovering on a daily basis, etc…. I even moved in the end but of course found a larvae in my new house the minute I got there (on inspecting the carpet around the baseboard!) this was before I had moved any of my things in to the new house. I’ve also seen them at work and in other people’s houses. I guess ignorance is bliss and most people are totally unaware of their presence. Once you find these things that’s it! The most I ever found was about 5 on an old leather bag. Other’s I’ve just seen ramdomly from time to time and can’t ever figure out what they’re eating. I saw one the other day crawling up a wall, no evident food source near by. Do they live under baseboards and in wall cavities etc.? I think many websites made my OCD worse making it sound as though finding one larvae in a house means you have a “hidden infestation”. Your words on this critters have given me some hope that it’s not just me that’s plagued by this things but that every house has at least some of them even if the occupents are blissfully unaware of their presence!
2 September 2009, 1:41 amTim Eisele:
Angel: I’m glad you’re finding this helpful. I think they are generally present in the walls, particularly if there are mice or other insects about.
And as for “ignorance is bliss”, I think that’s a good point: most people are probably happier just pretending they aren’t there. There are a lot of things that most people are probably happier not knowing about, or at least not dwelling on. For example, I probably shouldn’t mention eyelash mites. But, I see I just did . . .
Angel:
Oh I’m not even going to read up about eyelash mites!
If one was to put insecticide down around the baseboards (as some websites suggest) that may not get rid of the carpet beetles as wouldn’t it also kill other insects which would be under the baseboard and this would provide further food for the carpet beetles? I don’t think I have any mice but I guess there are insects and debris under the baseboards and other inaccessible places in all houses, does this mean that the beetles are inevitable and it’s just a case of preventing them from attacking personal goods? Thank you so much!
2 September 2009, 9:39 amJosh:
Oh man, i don’t know how long it takes these little bugs to do major damage, but they love wool like crazy. i think it puts their larva into a crazed eating frenzy. about 3 months ago i had done minor remodeling in my room… new laminate floor, new false celling, painted the walls, installed new switches and lights and a bunch of other stuff. naturally i moved all my stuff out and when it was all done i moved it all back. I looked at my $300 suit then and actually tried it on. no wholes, no bugs, nothing. I have a business trip in a day or so, so in preparation of my trip i started packing my bags. i pulled out my suit, and though there was little done to my suit’s pants, the jacket was devoured. It’s totally ruined. there are holes all over the place and some of them are larger than an inch in diameter. i found a few other things that have been munched on too. Oh i am so pissed off.
there are lots of bugs that devour dead things that don’t destroy hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of clothing and furniture. These little bugs are the work of the Devil!!!
3 September 2009, 3:35 pmmatt:
i was changing some bedding today and noticed one of these carpet beetle larva (i didnt know what it was until i looked on the internet)i wouldnt say there were loads, i collected about 7 or 8, but thats just what i can see. they seem to be munching on my flooring underlay where i ran out of flooring and as my bed was covering the area i just left it with the underlay only
one question, ive been itching lately, could it be these, the majority of the ones i found were near my bed.
also i noticed little white things on the underlay, only just visible with the eye, are these just really young ones.
30 September 2009, 12:37 amMelissa:
A few months ago I noticed a few “lady bugs” in my house. (that would mean it was during the summer time). My 4 yr old loved to play with them and then I would just put it outside. On hind site, I believe I must have had 10 or so of them during the span of a couple of weeks. I even thought to myself “this is weird!” But then they seemed to go away and I stoped seeing the live ones fly around. Then a few days ago, I notice rice looking things next to my bed. I am a pretty neat person and rarely eat in my room so I got very suspicious. Sure enough, they started to move. I was freakin’ out!!! I was up all night trying to find out what they were. I finally determined that they were carpet beetle larvae. So then I went straight away to work tearing everything out of all the closets and my girls room. I found them in every closet and room. Granted there weren’t that many in each room (except under my bed and under my girls bed there were about 15 or so). I have been so obsessed with this! I am relieved to know that I am not the only psycho path out there. But I do feel for everyone who is affected by this. It is a misserable thing. My husband is so at his last straw with me, as he doesn’t think it is a big deal. I am just different… I prefer bugs to be outside where they belong.
1 October 2009, 12:58 amAnyway I have been doing hours of research and I have yet to find a description of what the eggs look like. I would like to know so that I can keep my eye out for them. Also, do the eggs all hatch at one time or do some hatch and then others hatch at a later time. I read somewhere that it can take up to 35 days for them to hatch. Does this mean if I do not see any live beetles around that they have all laid their eggs. And that since I am seeing larvae that in 35 days I should assume that all the eggs have hatched.
I have been vacuuming tirelessly for days and doing tons of laundry. And I have not seen any larvae for a day or so. Is this good news?
Angel:
Hi Melissa,
1 October 2009, 1:39 amI understand what your’e going through. I have been “obsessed” with these bugs since I first discovered them 5 years ago! I am now on prozac as my obsession with them began to take over my life. Please don’t let this happen to you too! I have come to the conclusion that they are unavoidable. No matter how hard you try they will always be there to some extent; it’s just a matter of keeping them under control. They can live off dead insects, dust, hair etc.. so it’s really almost impossible to eradicate them – they can live in wall voids and under floor boards. I think that as long as you don’t leave wool products around for ages and regularly clean they shouldn’t get out of control. I still freak out every time I see either a larvae or a beetle but I try and remind myself they are everywhere, just most people don’t notice them! Good luck
Melissa:
Hi Angel,
2 October 2009, 1:23 pmI feel like I am going to be one of those people who lets this bug thing control their lives. Of all the things to really get to me, bugs will do it. Especially in my bedroom and in my bed! I have been making my husband lift the bed and move it everynight so that I can vacuum the bed and change the sheets. He thinks I am totally crazy. And I guess I spoke too soon! I said in my last blog that I had not seen any live larvae in a day or so, but last night when I was doing my 3 hour routine, I notced more in my room. One was on the wall above my bed!!!!
Do you know what the eggs look like?
Melissa:
Does anyone know what the eggs look like?
2 October 2009, 7:26 pmTim Eisele:
I’ve never seen the eggs, but based on the size of the larvae, I expect that they are practically microscopic and very hard to spot. Most insect eggs are white, for what that’s worth.
Angel:
Hi Melissa
3 October 2009, 2:07 pmI can totally empathise with you. It’s a horrible situation to be in. I am still trying to control my obsession with carpet beetles, it’s been 5 years so far! I’ve never seen the eggs so can’t really help there. I moved from my old flat to try and get rid of these bugs but the day I moved in to my new house I found them before I’d even moved any of my belongings in so I really do think they are in every house; mostly in small numbers I’d imagine. I got so bad that I was using a torch and implement to “dig” out the dust and debris from behind skirting boards etc. etc. searching for evidence of larvae. I made my husband deep clean the loft! had all new carpets/flooring fitted. I hoover every day, empty out cuboards regularly, but still I ocassionally find a larvae. I’ve only seen 2/3 over the last couple of years but still I freak out whenever I do. I really hope you don’t let these bugs take over your life as I have done.
Melissa:
Thanks Tim,
5 October 2009, 1:39 amIt seems to me that you are very knowledgeable in this area, so maybe you can help me understand. Is it true that the eggs will hatch within 35 days? (I read that is the longest it should take). And there has been no evidence of live beetles in my house for at least a couple of months. So I am not concerned with new eggs being deposited. If I continue the process of keeping everything out of my closets and detail vacuuming/ steam cleaning carpets for 35 days, then why won’t I get rid of them completely? Has anyone ever had complete sucess getting rid of them?
Melissa:
Angel,
5 October 2009, 1:50 amSo it sounds like I am never going to have complete relief from this mess!!! Have you ever heard of anyone having success with getting rid of them completly?
So yesterday my husband and I continued with the cleaning process. I am due to deliver a baby in one month and this routine I have found myself in is starting to take a toll on me. I can’t move the big furniture by myself, so I have to wait until my husband feels like helping me. Anyway, yesterday I made him move the washer and dryer so I can clean under it. He is so at his last straw with this whole thing, so I am sure he was not really wanting to do it. But lo and behold, we found almost 20 larva underneath them…. just feasting away on lint. I think he realized at that point that moving of furniture has to be done. Tomorrow the last pieces of furniture that we have to move is the refrigerator and the stove in the kitchen. But we recently cleaned under them a couple of months ago. Hopefully we wont find anything under there.
Does your obsession with these beetles ever get less or do you still think about them everyday. I have only been dealing with this situation for about a week, I can’t imagine having to go through this for 5 yrs. I would think moving would do it. The next house I buy I want it to be new. But we just bought our house 2 yrs ago. So we are not going anywhere for a while. But believe me the thought of moving has crossed my mind. I really hope you find peace through all this. I have been praying that God takes these bugs out of my house. I will pray for you too!
Tim Eisele:
Melissa:
You can almost certainly reduce them to negligible levels by working hard at it as you have been doing. You’ll probably even eliminate them for long periods. You could still get the occasional adult beetles coming in from outdoors, because they do fly around outside (I understand the adults like to eat nectar and pollen). Since they are very small, they can easily get in through cracks in the walls, poorly-fitting window screens, or even fly in the door with people coming and going. But, as long as there is nothing tempting for their larvae to eat in your house, they probably won’t get re-established.
Melissa:
Okay…. so I thought I was doing good and was getting a handle on these pests. Well I saw several larva yesterday… one of which was hanging out on the bottom of my matteras… even though I pull it every night and have been vacuuming every day for the past 12 days! And to make matters worse… I just found a live black carpet beetle hanging out by the window in my downstairs bathroom. I think what happened is we had an exterminator to come and inspect our attic, which is where I suspected we had a birds nest back in Spring. And my husband went up with him. But my husband didnt know to walk on the wooden beams and put his foot through the ceiling! All this insulation came crashing down onto our bathroom floor all over my clean laundry. When we were cleaning up the insulation I found a dead black beetle that looked just like a carpet beetle. Incidently, we do have an old birds nest in the attic. I believe this is where our problems have stemmed from and now we have to get rid of it and put microban in there to kill stuff up there. UGH!!!!! This is never going to end. And I have all my stuff still pulled out of all the closets and have been vacuuming like mad every day!
9 October 2009, 4:23 pmMarketa:
Melissa,
16 October 2009, 7:25 pmI found some larvaes before our hols in our bathroom and it took me quite long time to identify what it is. Let´s be happy that at least we have no fleas or so at home…
You can try this page which I found today: ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/black-carpet-beetle
It is very detailed. I am also very obsessive about any such stuff in house. I keep checking all dark spots evry day but they are very well hidden and they unexpectedly appear wandering in various rooms of our appartment. I must admit that English pages are much more practical while Czech ones are only concentrated on science and photos.
Rob:
We should start a self-help carpet beetle group. I’ve seen the occasional carpet beetle adult/larva since I can remember, for years. I never seen them in groups, just stragglers. If it makes you feel better, I found about 7 under my bed by the vent, and along the edge of the wall/floor, 1 under my mattress. Mind you, this is from someone who never thinks about dusting under his bed, and there was less than a dozen. I don’t think they have a good survival rate, unless there’s a good food source. I do eat in my room, but do not leave a mess, and I do not own any wool clothing. I have never seen them in my closet, and I don’t want to search for them in my closet, and I’m keeping it that way. The only other bugs I have ever seen in my house are centipedes, but that’s a story for another day.
22 October 2009, 6:20 amEileen:
I have discovered this website tonight and have found it helpful that I am not alone with this terrible carpet beetle situation. I had the problem diagnosed in April and was told by several exterminators that I had to bomb my home. I have three small children and this was a huge task. I had to clean out all of the closets, throw out stuffed animals, clothes and toys. I spend hundreds of dollars on dry cleaning bills also. I found the carpet beetles throughout my home, in closets, the attic, and my finished basement. The exterminators we hired said that the home had to be bombed twice, ten days after the first bombing in order to kill the larve. My family and I left the home for two weeks while this went on. After we returned, I continued to see larve and adult beeltes. I called the exterminators back in and they treated my home with sprays. I kept seeing the bugs and I kept calling back the exterminators because they claimed that they would get rid of the bugs. All in all, my house was bombed twice and treated seven times (three times the whole house and four times parts of the home) where I kept seeing the bugs. I feel terrible that I exposed my children to all of these cheminals and my youngest was a baby crawling around at the time. The exterminator was getting annoyed because he felt that he lost money on this job because he sprayed my home so many times. The exterminator said in his 50 years as a professional that he has never seen a case of carpet beetles like this. He thinks they are in my floor boards or walls. He came for the last time to my home in September to spray and I won’t call him back again. However, I am still seeing larve and adult carpet beeles. The residual effects of the chemicals are still working so the bugs are dead or dying when they have crossed the barrier of the chemicals on the floor. I know the residual effects will wear off soon and I am concerned that they will grow in large numbers again. I have contacted several exterminators and told them of my situation. No one wants to help me because they can see that I have a serious bug problem. They, along with my exterminator, tell me to find the source of the problem. I thought that I found the sources and threw away so many items from my home. I am on the verge of losing my mind. Our house remained packed up for months while the exterminator kept coming back and spraying our closets. I have become obsessed with this problem and check all around my house everyday. We are probably moving next year (not because of this problem) and I feel badly that I am leaving a house to someone with this bug problem. I am also concerned that I will bring these bugs to my new home. I wanted to know if anyone has any suggestions for anything else I could do to help rid my home of these bugs. Thank you very much for taking the time to read about my situation.
23 October 2009, 12:14 amMelissa:
Hi Eileen,
You have no idea how I totally feel for you. No one can understand the suffering we go through in order to eliminate these bugs unless you have been there done that. I too have had a major infestation just a month ago, so I am dealing with this whole thing too. I do not want to see my electric bill as I have probably done about 40 loads of laundry. I too have 3 small children and I am due to deliver another baby in 1 week!!! I have not seen any live beetles in my house for a while now and I have seen a couple of larva in the past couple of days. But this is nothing compared to what I have been dealing with. I had them in every room. I do not have a basement as I live in Oregon, but we do have crawl spaces and an attic. Not sure if they are in the crawl space or not but I know they are in the attic as we found a birds nest up there which my husband still has to get rid of. But what I have done is probably the extreme, but I feel like it is working to get rid of the bugs. Oh by the way, since it is cold and rainy here right now, I have been keeping my windows closed. But I did see a live carpet beetle between my screen and the window. It was not going to be able to get in as our windows are double paned and securly shut… but it was trying to get in from outside. I think next summer I am going to tape up the edges of the screens.
Anyway, here is what I have done, which to most people is probably extreme:
(1) cleaned out every closet completely… nothing in them at all.
(2) washed every single piece of clothing in hot water and ran dryer on high heat for 40 minutes. As soon as I washed them they went into plastic storage bins and I sealed them with tape.
(3) threw out things that could not be washed.
(4) detail cleaned my entire house… baseboard, blinds, window seals
(5) moved every piece of furniture… book shelves, armours, dressers, desks, washer and dryers, refrig, stove, sofas etc. and cleaned underneath. I still have bookshelves and dressers and desks moved away from walls so that I can continue to vacuum.
(6) vacuumed every inch of my house making sure to use the suction tool to get the corners and baseboards everyday for 3 weeks straight. Including the stairs. You have no idea how much work that involves. Made my husband lift our Cal King bed every day for a couple of weeks as I found them in the corners of our box spring.
(7) steam cleaned the carpets including the closets.
I too had an exterminator came to our house who said I would need to treat the baseboards and carpet. But I had heard that spraying would not do any good as they keep coming back. He did admit that several treatments would be necessary. We just dont have the money for that type of treatment not to mention that I am getting ready to deliver a baby. So we opted to try to get rid of them on our own. I for the first time in couple have not seen any larva. And believe me I am obsesed with this and look each time I go into a room. I finally started to hang my clothes in the closets. I really wish you the best in getting rid of them. My understanding is they will never be completely gone but if you continue to clean and keep up with vacuuming you can keep them undercontrol and maybe only see one or two larva occasionally. Make sure to seal up all wool or silk or downed items so they cant eat. We are getting rid of our down comforters.
28 October 2009, 1:18 amMelissa:
Tim,
28 October 2009, 1:21 amThanks for all your advise. So I have a quick question. If I only have one live beetle in my house that originated from my the inside of my house, then it can’t lay eggs assuming it is female right? It needs to mate in order to do that right?
Rowanne:
I moved in to my new flat nearly 3 years ago. i noticed what looked like little black maggots smallest 2mm biggest 1cm. i just picked them up and put them outside i forgot about them for a long time. then i noticed they where back when i was moving my furniture round ready for my daugther to come home after i given birth to her. i noticed they are everywhere ie: under my setee, in clothes kitchen and bathroom. i have seen 2 or 3 bettles but i just thought they where normal black bettles. ive recently had to pull my carpets up and now have wood flooring down. i still have them in my house. i would just like to ask you if you know if they would be harmful if my daughter ever came in to contact with 1 of them as shes just started crawling and iam very worried with not knowing much about the larvae???
1 November 2009, 1:40 pmTim Eisele:
Melissa: yes, in theory, if you can be sure that she never mated then she’s not going to be able to lay any eggs. But, it’s pretty much impossible to tell by looking at it whether a beetle has mated or not, and she could easily have mated outside before coming inside, so even if you just have one, it’s pretty good odds of being a mated female.
Tim Eisele:
Rowanne: I doubt they will harm your daughter. Even if she eats a few of them, they are small enough that the hairs probably won’t irritate her mouth noticeably. As long as she doesn’t develop a taste for them, I wouldn’t expect there to be a problem
Rowanne:
I would just like to say thank you to Tim for taking a load off my mind as ive worried about my problem for quite a few month now and not knowing much about lavrae so thank you Tim. x
2 November 2009, 10:55 amKatie:
I found some adults in my closet a couple of months ago. Sprinkled borax everywhere, didn’t see anymore. I’m sittin at the computer, look over and see the larvae in the corner of the room in the living room far away from my bedroom on the wall…needless to say I’m completely freaking out at this point. They are in a corner of the room that hardly gets used, and there is a very fuzzy blanket in there for the cats, that interestingly enough haven’t been laying on in a while, but there is alot of dust in the corner (yeah I know I’m bad…I have all hardwood floors, no carpet and sweeping can be a pain in the a$$. Anyway I’m totally freaking out at this point. I have wicker laundry baskets and some wicker baskets placed around the house. I decided to look under on of the wicker baskets in the kitchen area….O M G Larvae on the floor. I banged the wicker basket….MORE LARVAE on the floor. I’m freaking out. What do I do…throw the entire basket in the garbage along with everything that is in it???? Please help!! I’m already a worry wart as it is. I showed them to my husband and explained that they can destroy our home and he just looks at them makes an ugly face and continues with the football game….I’m sure he will never see one again or think about it ever again….I’m totally freaking out here.
3 November 2009, 1:06 amKatie:
Also do I need to get rid of all of the wicker baskets? I liked to use the baskets for my son to keep his toys in the living room (which I haven’t seen any there)because they look nicer than plastic ones. I know my husband was watching the game, but honestly he probably wouldn’t think much of it anyway. And now I’m itching all over from the stress…or is it from the beetles?? OMG PLEASE HELP
3 November 2009, 1:09 amTim Eisele:
Katie: I think that wicker baskets make an ideal place for the larvae to hide, but they probably aren’t eating the wicker. They are probably eating dirt and pet hair/dander that is caught in the wicker. If the baskets ever come in contact with moisture, they could be starting to decompose a bit, and that will make them a really good beetle habitat, too.
I’d think that cleaning out the baskets and maybe dusting them with borax, and then making sure that they stay dry, will probably take care of the problem. You probably don’t need to throw out the baskets unless you can see significant deterioration due to moisture or fungus in addition to the beetles. I doubt that throwing away the contents is necessary, washing whatever was in the baskets should be sufficient.
Katie:
Thank you so very much Tim for your response. I’m feeling better now. I will be cleaning the heck out of my house today and will maintain it better. I swear it’s harder to maintain almost 1900 square feet of all wood and ceramic tile floors. Sometimes I wish I had carpet-it seems easier to vacuum. And another thought is I might be spreading the little suckers from just sweeping my house instead of vacuuming it. I have a hoover wet-dry vac…I suppose I will be using that more often from now on. Thanks again.
3 November 2009, 10:16 amTim Eisele:
Katie: glad to help. As far as cleaning goes, one problem I’ve noticed is that most upright vacuum cleaners are designed for cleaning carpets, and don’t work worth a darn for cleaning hardwood or tile floors. But, either an “electric broom” style vacuum or a canister vacuum work really well on hard, smooth floors. If you don’t have carpets, then one of those styles of vacuum cleaner will probably suit you better. Also, while it is easy to get a carpet superficially clean with a vacuum cleaner, the dirt embedded down inside it is practically impossible to get out without steam-cleaning. And that’s where the beetle larvae would live.
Dee:
I check in with this website because I continue to find this pesky creatures. Melissa, your story sounds similar to mine. I am also due to deliver this month and I have gone through a similar checklist of cleaning and laundering EVERYTHING! We did not use pesticides either. I am afraid to hang clothes in the closet. Our clothing remains in plastic storage bins. I have also gotten rid of all baskets since I did find them in baskets with cloth lining. I used to pride myself on the lovely decorations and baskets in my home. Now I feel like the queen of plastic.
3 November 2009, 10:31 amI try to remember that these little bugs will not harm us, but it is so disturbing to find them in the home. I am never at rest because I am always looking for them. Just glad to know that I am not the only one out there. I hope that one day they will be gone!
Katie:
Thank you again Tim for the useful information. Money is tight right now so I’ll have to wait on a canister vacuum..I actually have a dirt devil eletric broom in my garage that my husband brought over from his mother’s, but I guess it needs a charger or something…I will definately look into this broom…or maybe I can find a better one if look at reviews online. I just never used it because it never turned on, put it in the garage, and forgot about it. I swear sometimes I wish I lived in an apartment again!
3 November 2009, 11:04 amTim Eisele:
(Julie Baker sent this to me by email, I think it was intended to be a comment. She has a lot of good pointers)
Katie:
Wow Julie great info! Thanks!
6 November 2009, 10:25 ambrava4:
I am so glad to have found this site. I too, am battling the dreaded carpet beetle but have come to believe I will have to live with them to a certain extent. I will keep cleaning, cleaning, cleaning… the rugs, my clothes and when I see one of the little sh!ts on my walls and baseboards I will squash them with all my might.
I used to worry about my pets being bothered by them but they aren’t. I used to wake up in the middle of the night and check my pillow and surrounding area but I stopped that too. I found them behind my bed but never in my bed. But I will keep doing a general scan of it.
When I did a big clean and moved furniture, it seemed to bring more of the larvae out and the next couple of days I was seeing them on the walls. It’s so gross.
I sit on the sofa now and literally scan the walls for the damn things.
7 November 2009, 11:57 amI appreciate everyone’s comments and help.
brava4:
Also, I found the larvae on my kitties fur toys. Bye Bye toys.
7 November 2009, 1:35 pmbrava4:
Does cedar really help?
7 November 2009, 5:06 pmTim Eisele:
Does cedar help? Probably not. According to this site,
That site does have a lot of good pointers – most of the measures for keeping out clothes moths also apply to carpet beetles.
brava4:
Tim,
Thanks for the info about cedar. One other thing… This may have been answered already but… Is it the adult beetle that does the damage to fabric? The larvae? Both?
Thanks,
8 November 2009, 2:02 pmbrava4
brava4:
Ok, so from the article you (Tim) just sent, it appears that the larvae are what causes the damage, not the adult. That’s good to know.
8 November 2009, 2:11 pmBarbara:
Hello Tim,
You mention: “That site does have a lot of good pointers – most of the measures for keeping out clothes moths also apply to carpet beetles.”
Where can I find that information please?
Stuff to use other than cedar?
Thank you,
8 November 2009, 7:45 pmBarbara
Tim Eisele:
Barbara:
The page is at:
http://wihort.uwex.edu/pests/CarpetBeetles.htm
I did have it linked in the earlier comment, but the default color choice for link text on these pages may not be the best – dark blue looks too much like black for the small text. I should probably do something about that.
Robin:
My husband and I have been battling carpet beetles for the past several weeks. We thought they might be baby ladybugs when I spotted them in the spring. Like others, we’ve paid a professional exterminator ($1000/national name) to rid us of these pests, to no avail. After a couple of attempts and still seeing the beetle or larvae (1 or 2 daily), I’ve determined this has probably been less helpful than my own effort – constant vacuuming, throwing out almost all furniture, lots of clothing and absolutely anything that makes my vacuuming and inspections more challenging. I did find one site that said 50% of homes will respond to 2 treatments (I think 30 days apart) but the other 50% will require 4-6 treatments over that many months. Not willing to subject myself to that amount of poison.
I will continue to clean, clean, clean. At this point, though, I’m trying to get by with vacuuming only every other day. We live in a rural area so I think they’re just flying/crawling in as we come and go. We’re getting a powerwashing this week to rid the house of the spiderwebs and debris. Hoping that will help possible nesting on house.
We, too, worry about selling our home and passing on the problem to someone else but I’m starting to realize the beetles may always be a problem here. Whether they’re in the attic, walls, under carpeting or hanging off the house ready to sneak in with us, I can only do so much. We’ve learned far more than one would want to about beetles. How can someting be so tiny but such a fierce opponent? Just praying I see the numbers decrease after time. Seeing one just now and again would be doable.
Good luck, everyone!
9 November 2009, 10:08 pmbrava4:
Robin,
I have come to the same conclusion as you. I have resigned myself to having some and just continuing to do what I can. I am one person in an apt. with kitties and figure with cat hair, my hair and just shedding of dead skin… there is food for them. I can only try to keep a couple of steps ahead of them. But not sure if I am really doing that just because I don’t see any. So, I calmed down and thought… do we live together to a certain extent? I hate that thought but they are, as you say, a fierce opponent. There are many more of them than me!! So, I clean and look, look, look to kill what I can.
Lots of luck!!
10 November 2009, 12:07 pmKatie:
I have ceramic tile and woodfloors-Julie sent info about the shop vac and I got one at Lowes today. It works great…thanks Julie!
12 November 2009, 11:30 pmThe only problem I have is the hose is short and the cord is short and my house has considerably large floor space…but that is okay for $45 it’s definately worth it. I’ll just get an extention cord. I don’t know if it’s going to scratch the wood floors though. It works great for sucking up the baseboards, the sides and corners of door moldings, sides of crown moldings and corners of the room, window sills, attic opening and pretty much anywhere that is hard to get with a broom or your hands. I always used a rag to get this, but the shop vac makes it much easier and gets more of the dust and dirt.
I have a sliding closet in one of the bedrooms so the cracks in the bottom get dirt and who knows what else in there so the shop vac works great for that. I plan to get a smaller crevice type tool to get deeper but it helped considerably. But anyway, for now the shop vac is much better than a broom and dustbuster. I got the 6 gallon 3 horsepower and it really sucks dirt up well so I’m sure for a little more money the the others would work even better. The only thing is the attachments will probably wear down quick since it’s plastic, but like I said for now it is fine.
Also, I use Mr. Clean with febreeze multi-surface. It seems to clean better than anything else I’ve used in a long time, and smells good. I mix it with water and put it in this spray bottle (from the dollar store-best spray bottle I ever bought)and spray the baseboards and in the corners and wipe it down and while I’m at it spray the walls. Anyway, I too have accepted that I’m not going to get rid of these completely but I will work much harder on the little details to help minimize. A professional mentioned to me that ortho home defense works well(not sure if that has been mentioned before).
At least for now I can go to bed with some hope, where as before I was in complete panick crazy mode.
brava4:
I may not want to know this but how does the larvae get on a wall when I didn’t see it there an hour before?
18 November 2009, 12:01 amkatie:
Well this is just my opinion, but it probably came from the floor near your baseboards of the wall and let me tell you those suckers actually move pretty fast. I mentioned this before, but the shop vac has made a huge difference for me. That and ortho home defense, and sparying the baseboards with mr clean/water.
18 November 2009, 12:11 amAngel:
In my experience they come from under/behind the baseboards too… I always hoover thoroughly around the eges of the carpet with the noozle, but there’s debris/dead insects under the baseboard and in wall cavaties so I think they lurk there and come out! Guess you can never totally eliminate them unfortunately it’s just a case of minimising their presence!
18 November 2009, 3:15 ambrava4:
Yes, it makes sense. Actually, I think I was fooling myself into thinking that they moved realllly slowly. Haha!! I went home last night and found one and when I removed it, before killing with the tissue, it moved faster than I had imagined. Yes, they are on a lot of my baseboards and I literally scan baseboards and windowsills whenever I enter or exit a room. I agree, I am resigned to always having some of them.
Katie, what do you think the Mr Clean does for them? What is Ortho Home defense? I have pets so I want to be careful about sprays.
18 November 2009, 7:01 pmRobin:
I, too, would like to know about the MrClean/water mixture??? I do know (Brava4)about Ortho Home Defense – just your average indoor/outdoor bug spray, purchased at Lowes or Home Depot. I’ve paid $1000 for Orkin, to no avail (begs the question – what has minimized my numbers – all the throwing out of furniture and clothing, along with constant vacuuming/sweeping for 2 months now OR Orkin?) so I’d highly recommend an Ortho product . This is taking such a toll on my husband and me. The constant worrying, moving furniture (what’s left of it) and constant searching for these things is wearing us down.
As for movement – adult beetles will fly and the larvae will move so quickly that you do tend to wonder, “how’d that get there?” AT this point, we’re pretty much only seeing them on hard surfaces which is just crazy to me. I’ll tell you – it’s good to discuss all of this here because most of us don’t want to share this with others. I told my best friend and our adult daughter. That’s it!!! Since my house is spotless, esp now since there’s little left to make it a “home”, I should not fall into any trap of stigma typically attached to BUGS. But I’m only human – and it’s embarrassing, as well as frustrating. Let’s pray someone comes along and helps us, past the support we find. How sad! I feel like I’m a member of a Carpet Beetle support group. ARGH!
19 November 2009, 10:32 pmBarbara:
Hello Carpet Beetle Support Group
Not sure what that Ortho is, but if you can get ahold of DoKtor Doom … that kills anything!
(Contains Permethrin 0.50%)
Yes, …
clean, clean, clean, spray (q 30 days)
clean, clean, clean, spray
and clean, clean, clean, spray
I have not seen any Carpet Beetles flying or crawling for a bit.
20 November 2009, 12:53 amSet up those monitors, and those have been clean for a while too.
No Carpet Beetles!
katie:
Sorry I didn’t reply sooner. That is sooo funny..carpet beetle support group! Yes it does feel like that! Really though that is all you can do is keep vacuuming and whatever else your doing to minimize the problem…I’ve excepted that. I really have not seen that many in a while, but I’m sure they are lurking somewhere. I didn’t mean to make a big deal out of the Mr. Clean. I just personally like the Mr. Clean with febreeze. It smells good and seems to clean well and I put it on spray nozzle to clean the baseboards (along with everything else in my house) and I put it on stream nozzle to get in the corners of the baseboards like where the door frames and the baseboard corners meet…don’t know if that made sense. My situation was I had a wicker basket near the kitchen area. Next to it I had a cat food bowl. I never sweeped behind the wicker basket. I picked it up one day and larvae was everywhere (shudder). So during my clean freak episode I started spraying the baseboards with mr clean diluted with water in the spray bottle and there was one of those suckers in the corner of the baseboard area and I sprayed it and it died. Honestly I don’t think it keeps them away, but it makes me feel good about keeping the walls and baseboards clean, but it might kill the ones that are already there. I probably shouldn’t have mislead what I was saying and I’m sure any cleaner would do, but FYI I don’t have carpet, so I can freely spray away without worrying about it getting on the carpet.
20 November 2009, 1:22 amI really don’t know how the ortho will affect your pets. According to ortho, pets and people can re-enter the home after it has dried. It is supposed to keep bugs, etc away and kill the ones you already have. Also, I sprinkled borax all throughout the house along the edges of the walls and I’m not sure if it actually killed any of the larvae, because the ones that I saw under the basket I personally killed myself, but I did notice after that, I had one on a wall in two separate places in my house as if they were trying to escape (and I’m very observant about things in my house and hadn’t seen this before)so I believe the borax made them want to escape. Then I vacuumed up the area. But I’m sure the ortho is contributing.
If it makes you feel any better, I strongly believe that there are many people who have this problem and don’t even realize it.
Sorry if my message is ridiculously long and I hope what I said makes sense, it’s late and I’m probably rambling. I will say this..I refuse to let this control my life and stress me out. All I can do is vacuum more often and use prevention methods, etc. and not get obsessed. So let’s all just take a deep breath and relax.
Barbara:
From what I’ve experienced, Borax does not kill them … maybe makes them want to go somewhere else where there is no borax in your house though.
20 November 2009, 1:37 amFrom what I was told Boric Acid/ Borax is for Roaches.
Robin:
Dear Fellow Support Group(ers),
25 November 2009, 10:52 pmI’m going to switch gears here completely. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. We’re going to visit with friends late in the day. Before we go, I will watch parades on t.v. and then I shall VACUUM and spray every square inch of baseboards/quarter round, carpet edges, etc with Ortho Home Defense. And then I am going to go EAT, DRINK and be merry. And I’m NOT going to think about the pests I’ve abandoned for the evening. I hope each of you will do the same. Happy Thanksgiving!
Angel:
Good on you Robin! I wish us all peace from these wretched little bugs!
26 November 2009, 2:25 amKatie:
Yes good for you…sounds like a plan! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
26 November 2009, 11:10 ambrava4:
A belated Happy Thanksgiving to all. I was home all day but still scanned the walls once in a while. Sadly, it has become a habit.
On Friday I braved my large wicker laundry basket, not knowing what I would find. As I walked up to it, with flashlight and duct tape in hand (I use duct tape wrapped around my hand to get the buggers off cloth) I heard, in my mind, the music to JAWS. Can’t you hear it?
I found only a couple of live ones but several shells which means I’ve been through several cycles of these little ____s!!!
I would like to join the Carpet Beetle(larvae) support group. Who knows… if we get big enough, we can one day have a convention!!
28 November 2009, 8:55 amKatie:
That’s so funny. And you know that is just what we are going to have to do is take this one step at a time, checking each area of our house very thoroughly when we are mentally ready and then continue to maintain and not forget about what we have in that little corner somewhere and I truly believe these things will be greatly minimized if we stick to it just like with anything else in life….but let’s not let it pyschologically take over or we will go insane!
28 November 2009, 8:40 pmRobin:
Oh, my beetle friends. How I have laughed over our last couple of responses. Brava4, I can hear hte JAWS music and how I could appreciate what you were saying about “braving” the wicker basket. I approach every search with a bit of fear in my heart. Isn’t that awful? I’m just so sick and tired of doing it. And I pray each time, “Lord, please don’t let me find one this time.” And like you, I am very habited to looking for dots and spots that may be bettle or larvae. Is there no end?
You’ll all appreciate this. We went to WDW (Orlando) this past week, staying in hotels the whole time. I did the searching for both Hilton Garden Inn and Port Orleans/Disney. Every speck I saw, whether in our room on the floors of the bathroom, the elevator or hallways, my eyes scanned quickly for carpet beetles. I can’t help myself! They’re always on my mind. And the entire time I was there, all I could think of was the little _____s reproducing, hatching, or eating while was I was away. Today I should have surely vacuumed. But that’s quite a bit of driving we’ve done. I’m tired and it’s cold. Snow outside did not help. I stayed in my pjs and thought, “How many can there be?” I’ve seen a few things in the foyer as I’ve walked through but sometimes what I see is so small I can’t be certain I’ve found one. This despite the fact I am very familiar with what I’m looking for. Sometimes, though, I think I have found very tiny, similar looking debris – too tiny to accurately identify. I’m praying there have been none.
Anybody with seasonal issues, experience a fall off just because it is winter now? My daughter figured they’d act similar to fleas. But our house is warmer than the great outdoors? Does this make my place more inviting this time of year? Or does my thermostat set at 68* or lower make it less so? I do feel better in that I think I’ve been fighting the good fight and I’ve drastically reduced the numbers as I will continue to do. They’ve met the wrong homeowner as I’m not about to let them win. I’ve got a dirt devil and I’m NOT afraid to use it. Know that, you pesky little bugs.
5 December 2009, 6:31 pmShay:
I was changing my summer clothes for my winter clothes and noticed the larva on my clean clothes hanging up in my closet. I have seen a couple before, but didn’t know what it was and didn’t think twice about it. I am doing laundry now, and my sister works in pesticide so she has given me a few good bits of information. I just keep wondering if it will be a vicious cycle. Find one, wash clothes, spray insectide, find another one, wash clothes again, spray insectides. I just hope and pray that they will go away. I will also pray for all of you as well. One good thing I read on the internet is that the adult beetles actually try to get outside because they want the pollen rather than anything else. I am terrified of bugs of all walks of life, no seriously. The only bugs I like are lady bugs, butterflys, and dragonflys and thats because they are pretty and they don’t hurt you. These carpet beetles have to go. My fiance and I rent an apartment and I always say, if you aren’t paying rent, you can’t stay here, so those beetles need to hit the highway. Well good luck to all of you and God Bless.
9 December 2009, 1:48 amRobin:
Oh man! I was starting to think I had these things licked – a holiday gift – in part to the cold weather (I hoped). NOT! Afer a couple of weeks of not really seeing any signs (though they could have been vacuumed up before they caught my eye), I saw one adult beetle this a.m. in my foyer. I opened the front door just a day or so ago. I swear I think there’s a connection. I think they just fly in whenever I open the door. I can’t believe this goes on so long. I’m so deafeated! HELP!
14 December 2009, 11:02 ambrava4:
Oh,bug filled holidays… here they come. I think the colder weather has slowed them down in my apt. I KNOW they are still there but I am seeing less. Hahaha! I’m a fool and I haven’t even had any spiked eggnog. Robin… you saw an adult beetle? I was hoping to not see any until spring had sprung. Geez… can’t we get a break?? Also, I would be checking other places too, hotels, other’s homes. I may need to be deprogrammed for this problem. Goodness, maybe we will need to atart a 12 Step Program
What is the true story… Tim?
I have a question… If the little bastards come mainly from the baseboards, walls etc.. How do they get across the room and under all the covers and end up at the bottom of the bed, on the bottom sheet? Uummm, I’m not aware that there is a shuttle bus service from the wall to my bed… I haven’t seen a taxi service running around the floor of my bedroom, dropping these little buggers off.
Frankly, I am learning waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much about Carpet Beetles.
May the force be with us!!!
15 December 2009, 10:38 pmTim Eisele:
Brava4: As far as I’ve been able to find out, the adults prefer to feed on nectar and pollen. I haven’t found any positive confirmation that the adult carpet beetles can’t eat the same thing as the larvae. But, if they can’t, then any adult beetles you see around this time of year are probably doomed. At least, they are if you live somewhere where it snows enough to knock out the flowers. The adults have to come out in spring or summer if they are going to be able to find enough nectar and pollen (or, at least, some sort of sweets) to eat that they can lay eggs.
I *think* that this means that the adults won’t be around to lay eggs over the winter, so the larvae that you have now are the only ones that you are going to have to deal with until spring. Unless you live someplace like Florida where there are always flowers, that is.
Oh, and congratulations! Subtracting out my comments, I think that you have posted the 100th comment on this page! That’s easily 4 times more than any other page on this site, and about 30-40 times more comments than the average page here.
Robin:
I do see things have slowed. In the past week, I’ve seen 2 adults, which I promptly flushed. Oh, how that gives me pleasure. The slowing has made me a tad lazy about the daily vacuuming. Plus the holidays keep me busy with other things so I’m too tired to vacuum that often. I’m just disappointed I didn’t wipe them out with all our effort. I’m assuming we have them right outside the door and just no clue where they’re nesting there. I will get back into my routine with daily or every other day vacuuming. For now, I guess we’ll all have to enjoy the break we’re getting. Because of these pests, I think we’ll all find spring coming much faster for all of us. Curses, beautiful flowers and things of nature.
17 December 2009, 11:18 pmkaren:
I’m glad that I found this website because I found this little bugs every where in the home that I want to purchase. I’m wonder if I get a better chance to get rid of these bugs before I move in. If I do, what method should I use? any advice? Please. Thanks in advance.
4 January 2010, 1:44 amTim Eisele:
Karen:
Before you move in is probably the very best time to knock them back. The best method would probably be a thorough housecleaning, with particular attention to baseboards, carpets, and the floor underneath major appliances. And a look at the attic and basement would give a good idea of the level of carpet beetles you can expect living in the walls.
If you were considering replacing the carpets anyway, now would be a good time to do it. When we moved into our old house, the living room carpet was in kind of bad shape, and when we replaced it there was about half an inch of sand and dirt on the floor under it. Wall-to-wall carpets are filthy things.
Katie:
I completely agree. If you can, replace the carpet. Maybe even consider hard floors. It won’t keep them away though, as I have only hard floors, but it’s something to consider and might eliminate alot of the problem…hard floors or carpet-hmmmm. And if you get hard floors I recommend a canister vaccuum thanks to Tim and others on this website. I swear this shop vac (although it’s not the most attractive piece of equipment) it has helped me so much. Tim if there is a carpet beetle problem in the attic, would it be fairly obvious? I have lived here for about three years and I have never been in the attic. I know I should investigate up there but I just don’t like attics they creep me out and would never ever store anything in an attic.
4 January 2010, 6:12 pmAlso Karen, try to limit cardboard boxes in the house. Bugs of all kind love cardboard boxes.
karen:
Hi Tim,
4 January 2010, 7:08 pmThanks again for your advice. I was afraid to give any offer when I see the condition of the whole house are covered with all these little bugs that I have no idea what’s it. My concern is after thorough cleaning and replace the carpet to hardwood floor,I will still have them around like others said. Do you think I need a exterminator to come out to do the job too? or even with that I will expect to see one or two around when the chemical substance have subsided? Are there any home sprays that I can use to save some money? I went back to see the townhouse for the second times, this times was less of them around but still about 60-70 of them. I was afraid to move the kitchen appliances or the attic to have a good look due to the filthy of the townhouse. Should I give up on this house? or I do have a better chance to clean this up before I make this my home?
Barbara:
Hello all,
Happy New Year!
I read the first email/post from Karen and thought…there is going to be oodles of posts.
5 January 2010, 2:54 amI was wrong. Is no one going to say anything?
You are just gonna just let her buy a house with bugs in it?
Karen, have you read all the posts here?
No one is fibbing … or stretching the truth at all.
I have not seen any beetles in a few weeks at my place, but I know I can’t ever really get rid of them. EVER!
… well maybe if you knock the house down, and rebuild across the street, around the corner, and up the hill!
… and then I won’t promise they won’t have packed themselves in your very CLEAN underwear and moved right along with you
I would not have moved in here if I would have known there were bugs.
I’ve never had bugs before and it has been a nightmare.
I hired out to spray … twice, and sprayed in-between on my own.
This place is sooooo clean now, and I know they are hiding in the walls waiting for spring, or for me to leave a crumb on the floor that was not vacuumed up immediately,
… or I forgot to put the whole vacuum outside, after getting the crumb.
ALL food sources are locked up tight.
All my clothes are in Ziploc bags.
So are all my sheets, towels, tableclothes, etc.
My books and papers are in Rubbermaid sealed totes, all over the house.
All food, wet dry or otherwise is stored in hermetically sealed containers.
I had to throw out all my plants, because they were in there too.
I’ve throw out furniture as well, … just in case.
All soap and cleaning type things are in Ziploc too, as they are food sources for them.
Anything that has glue on it, is stored away.
I don’t even own a cardboard box anymore.
If I were you, I would turn around and run.
… it’s not worth it
I realize this all sounds pretty crazy, but oh well!
Tim Eisele:
Barbara does have a point: if (a) this place really is that filthy, (b) you are seeing that kind of beetle numbers, and (c) you aren’t sure that you’ll be able to keep them knocked back to a level you are comfortable with, you might want to consider just walking away from this house. Or, if you do want to go ahead with it, go for a lower offer to account for the cleaning and carpet replacement costs, and be explicit about why you are offering less.
I think your ability to keep them knocked back will depend somewhat on the climate. In northern regions like Michigan, the beetles stay fairly well controlled with just standard cleaning, probably because the indoor humidity gets so low in the winter while the cold knocks back any reservoirs of beetles outside. At the other extreme, a hot, humid place like Florida might make keeping them under control very difficult.
Katie:
Yes Barbara this is true…you’re right. I’m glad you spoke on this. Yeah the truth now that I think about it is since I have had to go through this in my house (and I don’t think I’ve even counted 70–I take that back the wicker basket I had was full of them), and I were to buy a house again and saw carpet beetles/larvae honestly there’s-no way would I even buy the house. It just wouldn’t be worth it to me. That’s just my opinion though.
5 January 2010, 10:10 amkaren:
Hi all,
5 January 2010, 11:30 amThanks so much for your input. Now that I had read all of your previous post, it convinced me to past this townhouse and look for next ones.
Evnthought I did offer 10% lower than the bank asking, I don’t think it worth the effort to go thought all these trouble and still have those bugs hiding some where waiting to remerge
Robin:
Geez! Miss just 2 days and all things break loose. Just now getting here on this one, Barbara. But I’m with you. Don’t buy it!
Despite the fact it is so cold in this area, I still managed to see a stupid beetle 2 days ago and couple 2 weeks prior. ARGH! I am sick to death of this. My thought is this – relative to Tim’s post – if we/any of us have these things in walls and air ducts, we’re up the creek without a paddle. There’s no hope of elimination under such circumstances!
I have virtually NO furniture left, Karen, and, like Barbara, ALL my stuff is in plastic ziplocs of ALL sizes. I’m no longer LIVING in my house. I’m doing watch here. And it’s really no longer HOME, the reason I use the word HOUSE. I feel more like I’m in a prison with beetles as jailers. I hope not to take the little darlings with me if/when I sell this place. It’s crazy how they continue to show up despite the vigil I keep.
As for professionals, Karen – I paid over a $1000 to Orkin – no success! I think the use of Orhto’s Home Defense would have done just as well. I believe the real progress has been in what I’ve gotten rid of and how much I’ve vacuumed up. I’ve worked very hard. And continue to do so.
5 January 2010, 2:32 pmJB:
I posted on this subject way back in April, and have followed all the comments with interest and sympathy. To recap: I have had them in two different houses (years apart), and most recently found them in my daughter’s closet. We did the purge/wash/disinfect, but still see the odd one, and still mostly in her room. She recently found a mother lode of them in her forced-air vent, so maybe they are breeding in there. I’ll have the vents cleaned just in case. The upside? My daughter used to be a slob, and now she isn’t!
Mainly I decided that, although I hate them with a passion and have a habit of scanning any clothing before I put it on, I still won’t let them run my life! I just kill them if I see them. I don’t actively look for them in seldom used areas more than once every few months, I vacuum often but not too often, and spray the baseboards once in a while, mostly inside carpeted closets. I already store unused linens in bags, but I also have a lot of cardboard boxes. I’ve never seen one anywhere near the boxes. I rarely see the larvae in rooms that don’t have carpet (which is most of our main floor), and I have never seen them in the kitchen or pantry. I vacuum under our couch cushions regularly anyway, and have never seen them (but I have seen them under the couch cushions in our basement suite, where my mother lives).
We live in British Columbia so it doesn’t get too cold, although the weather probably prevents any new adults coming in. As long as they don’t bite, then I can live with the knowledge that they are probably always going to be present to some extent. That said, I would still not purchase a house if I knew it already had a carpet beetle problem.
5 January 2010, 6:19 pmKatie:
Hmm thanks JB. I have a 14 year old son. He’s a wonderful kid-smart, popular, very athletic, outgoing, I could go on and on, BUT he is a SLOB too! I stay on top of him as much as I can and I realize that this is sort of “normal” for teenagers. I helped him with a book project using a cardboard shoebox from his closet. I dismantled the box and what do you know…a carpet beetle larvae in the folds! I have always noticed especially in my previous apartment living, silverfish and earwigs hanging out in cardboard boxes. But then again I live in Southeast Texas and GOODNESS KNOWS we have ALOT of bugs around here!! Maybe it’s just me-I just hate cardboard boxes!
5 January 2010, 6:51 pmI’m like you I’m not letting it control my life. I won’t activly look for them or I will go insane. I just vacuum more than usual and stay on top of things much better than before.
Is a forced air vent the ones in the floor?
Happy New Year to All!
JB:
Hi Katie: Yes, the forced-air vents are in the floor. They are covered by a metal “grate” and of course the ducts are connected all over the house. I think it probably gives the larvae a good way to travel if they are so inclined.
I have just never seen any in a cardboard box, but I guess it doesn’t mean they are not there! Mostly I have seen them on fleece clothing, inside my mother’s silver drawer (lots of them there, go figure), inside my mother’s couch, and inside my daughter’s room. The formerly slobby daughter is petrified of them, and will spend a lot of time scanning her carpet with a flashlight. I think I probably downplay them a little because I don’t want her to get TOO obsessed with them.
The only piece of furniture I have thrown out was her mattress, and that was mostly because it made her feel better: we didn’t actually find any on the bed. We actually completely emptied her room, sprayed and thoroughly vacuumed, washed every article of clothing, sprayed the dresser, and repainted her room. And they still appeared again a month or so later! So at some point you have to throw up your hands and just take out your frustrations on the ones that you DO see!
5 January 2010, 7:50 pmkatie:
OK thanks for the reply JB. Awww your poor daughter! Well at least she learned early on how important it is to clean up! I think that’s really good downplaying the situation too.
7 January 2010, 11:41 ambrava4:
Hello all,
I have become a bit laxed with the freezing temps and not seeing any larvae around. I did see 2 larvae weeks ago, alone, so I figured they were straglers. No adults at all. Yes, I always know they are still there. I have to admit also, that putting all my clothes, books and anything else in bags, containers is not going to happen. I can’t see living like that, just me. I’ve gotten to the point that these things don’t creep me out anymore, they will be here and I can only do what I am doing. I kill as I see them and will continue. I am thankful for the freezing weather as it is a nice respite.
Regarding Karen and the “house of bugs”. I personally would never buy any house that (sounds like) is infested with bugs or a house with mold. Those would be deal breakers for me.
I anticipate the spring onslaught and am grateful for websites like this as now I know what I am dealing with.
I wonder though… due to the freezing weather… I sometimes think when spring hits I will walk into my apt, and see a larvae the size of an ANACONDA!!!!!
9 January 2010, 9:29 amkatie:
OOOOMMMMGGGGGG I AM OFFICIALLY FREAKED OUT. I take back everything I said about remaining calm…at least for now anyway. I just found two larvae in a glass baking dish in my kitchen freakin cabinet. It really sucks to be so disgusted in your own home.
14 January 2010, 6:00 pmJB:
In a baking dish? Ugh, that’s horrible. Not the kind of protein you want in your meals…
If it makes you feel any better, I jinxed myself last week: I found one where I had never seen one before, in a non-carpeted area! (Either that, or they’re learning to read this forum and are conspiring against me.)
14 January 2010, 6:10 pmkatie:
LOL protein…Yeah I’m not happy. That is the first time I have seen them in the kitchen. Under my kitchen sink I had a leak. Now the entire cabinet underneath needs to be replaced and we have no idea how to do this or how much it will cost for someone else to do it, so we have been procrastinating. They are probably attracted to the moist area I guess, plus we already live in a very humid environment. JB if it makes you feel any better I do not have ANY carpet in my home. I have ceramic tile and wood floors with a few rugs that I clean regularly.
15 January 2010, 12:21 pmWe moved in about four years ago and we don’t even have alot of stuff because we started everything from scratch. I used to complain about not having enough kitchen stuff, but I’m sooooo fine with that now cuz now I have to attack the kitchen!
I sure do wish my cat liked to search out and eat these things…..that would be sooooo niiice.
Robin:
Katie, any chance the baking dish was one just not used for some time, one that may have been missed in previous inspections/cleanings? I think we were all getting a false sense of security with this incredibly COLD weather. Seems with every slight warming we have (we’re in high 40s today), I see them again. Today I saw one – a beetle.
From everything I’ve read online they only slow in the winter, really active in summer. I’m dreading spring now and it used to be my fav time of year. But I’m with you ladies – we’ve learned alot. From here forward, all my furniture pieces will be as high off the ground as possible. Everything that is stored in closets will be cleaned and then put into ziploc bags. As for NOT having kitchen items – I agree with you, Katie. The less we have the better; less to look through and clean. We’re getting in a habit here, much to my husband’s disappointment, of pulling out appliances once a month. This means fridge, dishwasher, washer/dryer will be pulled out so I can vacuum underneath. And I’m trying to stick with vacuuming under bed and in every crack/corner every other week with the standard vacuuming once or twice a week.
At some point, we just have to be “o.k.” with these pests. I’m not giving up but I can’t vacuum every day like I was. And I need to start LIVING in my home again, instead of staring at chairs up on tables, and rubbermaid containers sitting everywhere.
Hang in there, Katie. Don’t panic! Just go through the kitchen a bit and look for other signs. Guess every month or so we should all be checking cupboards and drawers. ARGH!!!
15 January 2010, 5:16 pmRobin:
P>S> Where does everbody live? Just curious about weather conditions everybody’s in. We’re in Northern VA – snow most winters -not mild but not harsh either. Summers are hot and sticky.
15 January 2010, 5:19 pmBarbara:
Hello everyone!
16 January 2010, 5:08 amI live in Alberta, Canada. … it was -40 C/F outside this past November. Right now it is warm, the snow is melting (+4C/40F). Normally about -20C/-4F. But it is nice and warm inside were all these living ‘things’ live. I also have seen a few larvae this past week.
Since I needed to put something on my lino floor so that all the snow from boots would not leave dirty puddles to clean up, I brought in a cardboard box, and cut it up. I was not about to spend any money on any carpet like things! Well guess what? While I was vacuuming the other day, I found 3 larvae had made themselves a home. Yes, brava4 I think there is a shuttle bus, or taxi service going to beds etc.
I also can’t keep up with daily vacuuming either Robin. I also (in the spring) found larvae on my indoor cats.
I would like to move, but have not figured out how to do that without moving these things with me! Spraying poison does not seem to work at all as a permanent solution.
I was thinking of maybe having one of those heat treatments done, that are supposed to kill everything, pack everything up again, and store it all in some outside storage unit to freeze for a winter.
Does anyone know what eggs look like? Maybe very tiny whitish things?
Ziploc and Rubbermaid should be giving all of us a volume discount!
Barbara
brava4:
I live in Northern Virginia too!! I have gotten to the point of knowing I have to live with these things. I lived on a higher floor and knew nothing of these bugs. I then move to a 1st floor apt and I am finding all kinds of bugs. Stink bugs, ant, and carpet beetles.
I just realized I had to let go of some of it. I can’t possible vacuum every day. Why would they be in your kitchen cabinet? Is it a warm place? I thought that the larvea were the culprits that really ate fabric. So, having them in your glass dish seems weird.
I found one on my bed and took it over to the windowsill. I put it on its’ back and you know that little ___t righted itself up straight and over it went on to it’s belly. It was kinda amazing to see.
I love spring but I really am not looking forward to it for just this reason.
Be strong!
16 January 2010, 1:57 pmkatie:
Robin I had a few spots of burnt oil that I had missed. I’m thinking maybe that’s why they were there. I really don’t know. brava4 I don’t know why they were in the kitchen. Whoever posted the pic above (tim?) found that larvae in the cupboard so..I dont’ know. It does seem weird to have them in my glass dish. Especially since I have not seen them anywhere else in the kitchen.
16 January 2010, 2:43 pmWe have had much colder than usual weather here, but otherwise our weather is quite mild (however for me 65 below and I’m c-c-c-oooolddd)! I live in Brazoria County Texas near the Gulf Coast about an hour away from Houston/Galveston.
The weather here is perfect for all kinds of bugs. I knew the cold weather wouldn’t “get rid” of them at least in my area…I just didn’t want to say anything LOL and be Debbie downer.
katie:
I meant to say 65 and below not 65 below…:p
16 January 2010, 2:44 pmRobin:
If I’m not mistaken the habits of the larvae and beetles is to seek out dark places – to live in peace and munch away. They don’t know when they enter a dark cupboard with glass dishes they may not find food there. They are mighty but I don’t think they’re particularly bright.
I just went to a desk drawer to get an emery board out of a partially opened container. I think I had taken one out ages ago. Anyhow, as I pulled the cardboard backing further away from its plastic front, I saw a larvae there. I have NO clue if it was dead or alive. I took that desk apart right there on the spot. This is evidence of how easy it is to overlook an item where they may be hiding in wait for their next meal. But they will eat just about anything. Crazy bugs! What’s to enjoy in an emery board meal? Curse these things – it takes just ONE opportunity of not being detected. ARGH! They’re like rabbits.
Brava4, in your case I’m thinking your hands are tied in an apt complex or condo building. NO matter what you do, the adjoining walls to others’ homes are going to give them a way to come/go.
Tomorrow is our day to do our in-depth search and destroy mission. Hang in there, everybody!
16 January 2010, 10:47 pmShay:
I have been seeing comments after comments and just wanted to let you guys know that I had a problem with carpet beetles myself. My sister works for Univar USA, she sells pesticide for them. I called her and she gave me some sprays and then sent me to a guy that she has worked with that lives in my town and he gave me some dust to put down. I used these products and have not seen one since, well I take that back, I saw one and it was dead. One thing you should do is make sure you do not have any bird nests or bees nests in or around your home as this is a natural habitat for carpet beetles. We had a birds nest on a water spout outside our bedroom window and had an ac unit in the window. We knocked the birds nest down, took the ac unit out of the window and my fiance went outside to grab the birds nest and looked at it under a light and saw about 3-4 carpet beetle larvae in the nest. He threw the nest as far as he could into the woods. Check your basements and check your attics for nests too. We washed all of our clothes and let me tell you I have enough clothes to open my own clothing store, lol. We vaccumed, put down the sprays in baseboards and along the windows. They were only in our bedroom. My closet is closest to the window and I had quite a few on my clothes hanging up in my closet. My fiance could not find a single one on his clothes in his closet. The guy that my sister sent me to was 99.9% sure that the birds nest is where they were coming from. I have been so blessed and relieved that I haven’t seen anymore. The guy my sister sent me to also gave me some glue boards to put down in my closet and other places, so that if I saw them on the glue boards the problem was still there. I put a glue board down in my closet about an inch away from the baseboard and left it there about a day or so and there was nothing on it, I moved the glue board to another side of the closet, left it there for a day or so, and still no signs of them. I put the same glue board under the window where we suspect they got in, left it there a day or so and the only thing that happened across the glue board was a tiny little spider, no larvae or beetles. I had not actually seen any beetles just the larvae, and now nothing, and its been about mmm, 3-4 weeks maybe longer. We sprayed the whole upstairs just to be safe and thankfully have not seen anything since. The sprays that I used are as follows: Intruder HPX, Microcare (Prescription Treatment), Borid Turbo (Insecticide with Boric Acid), and Boractin (Insecticide Powder). You can only get these from a professional, you can buy it from a pest control company. They aren’t very much, but I am sure we would all pay considerable amounts to get rid of these things right? Also use glue boards to test and see if it is working. I strongly urge you use these products, as I have seen dramatic results from them and I am so thankful and blessed. I also prayed about them, I asked God to help me get rid these things, and with the products and the power of prayer you to should see great results from them. I hope this helps you all, and I will pray that your pest problem will go away as well. Please try this and let me know how things are turning out. You can email me at dream4u101@aol.com if you have any other questions, I can always call my sister and its free to talk to her. Have a wonderful day and God Bless you all.
16 January 2010, 11:55 pmRobin:
Shay, thanks for the info but we’ve all “been there, done that”. The glue boards you mentioned revealed no beetlers in my home either (only a gnat) and yet we would see them elsewhere in the house. The baits are not helpful so don’t let this be your measuring stick for success. As for nests, we’re familiar with that as well and I’m fairly confident that’s how my problem startedd. Undetected for some time, though, they had a chance to run loose in my home. NO nests now – at least not close to the home – but I have 4 acrs of property, nests are bound to be somewhere out there. These beetles exist outdoors so there will always be the potential of having them enter our homes. Sadly, because of their habits, they are extremely difficult to get rid of once in and an infestation has occurred. WE’ve all used and continue to use pesticides (scary stuff). I actaully paid ORKIN to treat for these. I consider it to have been a waste of my money. That they came twice and I still see the beetles is an indication that pesticides must be used with great care and only with small level of hope for complete elimination.
thanks for sharing your experience, though. Come back to visit if you find them again. HOpefully, you won’t have the problem we’ve all experienced.
17 January 2010, 4:38 pmShay:
Hey Robin, Your welcome for the advice, I hope I am rid of them pests. We may have seen the problem early and have been able to eliminate them becoming an infestation, I hope. One mistake you did make is going to Orkin for help, you should definitely try Univar USA. I am partial to them yes, because my sister works for them and has for many many years, but the difference between the two, is they really want you to be happy and pest free, they don’t try to sell you other products, and they really do care about their customers. Wow, 4 acres, that is a lot of land, but as long as the nests are no where in or around your home, that can give you a little piece of mind. Have you actually tried these products I suggested? If not, please do, you may be surprised. Well good luck to you and everyone else on getting completely rid of these beetles, (if its possible). Hope all has a wonderful day and God Bless.
17 January 2010, 6:43 pmRobin:
Good luck with selling your sister’s product, Shay!
17 January 2010, 7:24 pmBarbara:
Hello everyone,
I had to check my kitchen out, after I read the posts here and didn’t find anything new there. But it got a good scrub down anyway.
, but it happened again, sooo I put the next trap I found with an adult in it, in a plastic bag. When I went back, the thing had managed to crawl out of the glue board, but was still in the bag.
17 January 2010, 11:54 pmCuriosity got the better of me and I looked at what Shay was selling.
Intruder HPX Contains: 0.10% Cyfluthrin, 0.05% Pyrethrins
Microcare contains: Pyrethrins 0.3%, Piperonyl Butoxide 2.2%, N-Octyl Bicycloheptene Dicarboximide 0.336%
Borid Turbo contains: ORTHOBORIC ACID (BORIC ACID) 20.000%, SILICON DIOXIDE 5%, ETHANE, 1,1-DIFLUORO- 35-45%, C8-C9 ISOPARAFFINIC HYDROCARBONS 35-45%
BorActin Insecticide Powder contains: Orthoboric Acid…99%
… so nothing new there unfortunately!
Shay, whoever sprayed your place should have set up at least one glue-board in every room. They are cheap, cost less than a dollar. Having said that:
Glue boards, I have found really don’t work. I had found adults in various traps (in the summer), and went back the next day and the trap was empty! I thought I had stayed in the spray too long
re: emery boards Robin was it a new one?
if it had been used it would be the dead nails tissue it likes
If not maybe Tim knows more on that!
katie:
When I accidentally found that carpet beetle larvae in my son’s shoe box (I would have never seen it if I hadn’t taken it apart), I did some googling and read that carpet beetles will bore through cardboard. Just my opinion but I think they are attracted to it. Maybe that would explain the emery board. I also found a website where someone was selling the carpet beetles, and they mentioned that the carpet beetles bore into the cardboard and they use it for bedding as well as styrofoam and pet bedding. They use the bedding so they have a place to hide and pupate.
18 January 2010, 9:13 ambrava4:
Well, while I was happily watching Desperate Housewives Sunday evening, I saw this dot climbing up the living room wall. It had quite a good clip to it. I hopped up, well, sorta, and there it was… my first adult Carpet Beetle for the 2010 Spring season. It was a tiny one, newly born no doubt. Oh well, I thought I had a while longer before they appeared. I guess not.
18 January 2010, 5:01 pmbrava4:
Katie,
I think you are so right. They will go anywhere.
18 January 2010, 5:27 pmRobin:
@brava4, you live in NO VA, right? Like me? I’ve noticed a couple this week. I think it’s the fact the temps have warmed up a bit. I swear they are just flying into the house when we open the door. Clearly, there is a nest or something we can’t detect. What a pain! As for Shay, just someone peddling stuff, I’m sure! I should not have engaged her in conversation.
18 January 2010, 8:06 pm@Katie – yep this was a new pack of emery boards – just one missing. I don’t put the used ones back in there. It’s amazing the tiny places we can find them, never dreaming to look in such places. This is why we can’t get rid of them – I’m sure of it. LIke books – unless you turn each page, will you really find ALL possible larvae? doubtful. It’s an insidious problem!
katie:
Robin…Brava4….Yep and LOL to both of you. I was outside today playing with my son in the lovely 70 degree weather. I saw bugs flying quite a bit today but too fast for me. I was trying so hard to see if they were carpet beetles…ugh! I’m starting to feel not so crzy anymore though and just continue the fight without losing my mind over it. I still believe that many people have these things and don’t know it.
18 January 2010, 10:27 pmShay:
Ok everyone, lets get something straight, especially you Robin. I am not selling ANYTHING. My sister works for a pest control company, NOT ME!!! and I just thought I would be nice and try to tell everyone what I was given to use to get rid of the CARPET BEETLES THAT I HAD. Yes, I had carpet beetles myself, I am not in sales, I am just like the rest of you that had a problem with carpet beetles. Robin, I was only trying to be nice and help you and everyone on here by telling my horror story of the carpet beetles and what I did, because it WORKED!!! I AM NOT PEDDLING ANYTHING! If you don’t want to engage in conversation with me that is fine, but just remember I was only trying to HELP you. What made you think I was trying to sell you something? Is it because I asked you if you had tried the same products I had? I told you, you made a mistake by going through Orkin, because I called them about the things and all he wanted to do was try to come out and spray and make a few dollars. The products that were given to me by my sister and a client she works with (Who by the way has been doing this for well over 30 years) really worked. I have not seen a single larvae or anything for well over a month or so. No one came out and sprayed for me, I did it myself, just me and my fiance. Even though Robin, you have put me down on this website, I still hope that you and everyone else can get rid of those nasty pests, and I hope now that you realize that I am not a sales person, and I am not “PEDDLING STUFF”, as you call it. I am just another person out here that had a problem and thought I could help. Everyone else could tell you what they used and you wouldn’t think that they were trying to sell you anything, so why me? I have to say I am a little hurt that you regret having a conversation with me because I just thought we could help each other out. Well good luck to you ROBIN, and everyone here, I still hope you get rid of the beetles. I will still get on the website to see how everyone is doing with these things. Have a great day and God Bless you Robin.
19 January 2010, 12:45 pmRobin:
Just dawned on me – how dare that beetle ruin a perfectly good Desperate Housewife episode!
19 January 2010, 5:26 pmKatie, my husband is like you – if he sees anything dart past his eyes, he immediately wonders what it is. Make sure the OCD we all have with this does not ruin your time with your son. Let’s try to limit the worry of these to indoors ONLY!
Melissa:
Hi to all my CBSG (carpet beetle support group),
19 January 2010, 6:02 pmI have not posted in a while as I delivered a baby girl back at the beginning of November. (We now have completed our family and we stop at 4 girls!! LOL)I was freakin’ out for a couple of months before I gave birth because I was vacuuming everyday for hours due to a major infestation in our house. It was in every room of our house. Oh that reminds me of something so funny… my newborn loves the sound of the vacuum and it actually sooths her and she can sleep right through it!… Go figure. She heard it CONSTANTLY while she was in my tummy!!!!
Anyway, I have not had a chance to vacuum like I was everyday as I have been dealing with a colicky baby and 3 other young children. I have seen a couple of them here and there… One in the bathroom on the window pane, and one near the baseboards. I was so paranoid before that I would have my husband lift our bed every night to see if there were any under there. But I have not had him do that in months. I know it doesn’t seem possible, but eventually you will get used to these pests being in the same house as you… I never thought I would say that because I am so not an insect person. I mean I screem at the sight of a spider. I guess the thing that I remember is that they wont hurt us. I am going to start back on the major vacuuming everyday again as I know spring is coming soon and I don’t want to have to rewash 40 loads of laundry. So I need to keep them at bay. If you go back to around October of last year on this message board, you can see that I had so many problems with this situation. It has been a huge nightmare in my life… but nothing compared to the post partum depression I just go out of…. OH MAN… I am so glad I detected these bugs BEFORE I gave birth. SO right there that was a blessing!
Oh and I never used insecticide and I believe I have a handle on things here. Just wanted you to know that I believe it is possible to keep them under control by major efforts to clean and to vacuum like crazy. I will never eliminate them completely. I believe that.
Robin:
Melissa, congrats on your new baby girl. 4? Wow! You’re a brave soul. I only had 2 girls and that was plenty. I’m very sorry to hear about the depression afterwards. But sounds like you have things under control with that. I’ll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Funny, but it looks like we’ve all seen signs of these things lately. We’ve shared we’re in NoVa, Texas and Canada. How about you? I think the temps impact them and that it doesn’t take much warming to “awaken” these things. So wonderful your precious girl is not bothered by the vacuum. Good you got her used to the idea of it.
I think we’ll all probably continue to deal with these but I’m really going to hope God holds these pests at bay for you. With 4 little ones, you have your hands full. Thanks for sharing your good news. Well wishes.
19 January 2010, 8:15 pmShay:
Just to let everyone know, I am not selling any products. I am not in sales, my SISTER is for a company called Univar USA. My sister gave me some products that I listed in an earlier comment that seemed to have worked, and I just thought I could help out by telling you what products I used because they worked. I haven’t seen anything in weeks. I hope everyone gets these things under control, because when I noticed we had them I was terrified even though they don’t hurt you, I am terrified of bugs. I hope now everyone understands that I was not selling anything just trying to help. Congratulations on the new baby Melissa that is so great. Barbara, yeah the glue boards weren’t of any help, but the sprays did work. I live in a town home so not much to really have to spray. They were only in our bedroom, so I think we may have caught the problem before it became a complete infestation. Hope you have a wonderful day and God Bless.
20 January 2010, 9:53 pmMelissa:
Robin,I am living near Portland Oregon. I do love the green trees but I guess it brings its share of bugs. But I must say, nothing compares to bugs from the south as I used to live in Houston TX. Man oh man!
But in all honesty, even though these bugs do not bite, they are the worst bugs to get rid of. I am a clean freak, but as I started to have more and more kids, I found myself having less time to do the deep cleaning… you know… the move the fridge, washer and dryer, and get in all the nooks and crannies. But I found my house the cleanest it has ever been right before I delivered my final baby. When I found out I had these bugs in my house, I did not sleep for days… and I went on a rampage tearing everything out of every closet, dresser, bookshelf, and drawer in the house…. from the bathroom to the kitchen. My kids had never watched so much TV in their lives!! They went through withdrawls when I made them cold turkey!! LOL I found larvae in every room. I probably went over board, but I vacuumed every corner of my 1600 square foot home every day for over a month. I had every piece of furniture moved in my house every single day. My poor husband was so at his witts ends with me! There I was 8 months pregnant and carrying that vacuum up and down the stairs every day. And I vacuumed the stairs too! That was such a pain, but I kept fininding them in the hall way and the stairs. If I could afford it, I would rip out every inch of carpeting in my house and have wood floors put in. But that ain’t going to happen anytime soon. I told my husband now that my almost 3 month old is starting to settle in to a routine that I would have to start up with the vacuuming before I found any live beetles in my house…. you should have seen the look he gave me… like oh no… not again! LOL
21 January 2010, 2:16 amMelissa:
Shay,
21 January 2010, 2:25 amYou are so blessed to have only had them in your bedroom. I am happy for you that the spray seemed to have worked for you. I have seen too many times that people who have had major infestations spray so many times and still can’t get rid of them. I myself am afraid of chemical sprays of any kind. I had an exterminator come to my house and try to sell me sprays but I was 8 months pregnant and had very little children (18 months, 3 yrs and 5 yrs) so I said no. The best thing he did for me was verify what I already suspected… we had a birds nest in our attic….and our house was built in 2005. That is because the company that did the siding didnt’ do it right and there was a pretty big gap that allowed the birds to get in there this past spring. We did get rid of the nest ourselves and they are going to be fixing the siding tomorrow. I too prayed about the bugs… and I feel like God heard my prayers and allowed the situation to get under control. Blessings to you and I pray those nasty bugs don’t come back in your home!
Robin:
Melissa,
I hear you about the deep cleaning. But truth be told, you and I (and probably others here) are among the few who have ever done that type of cleaning. I’m a clean-freak (a true VIRGO – OCD). Our situation was simiilar to yours – big house – just two of us – spare rooms, never touched because the doors were closed, only opened when guests visited. BUT we actually never saw real signs in these spare rooms. Good thing – one is our little grandson’s when he visits and another is where our deceased daughters things are stored. Now THAT’s a blessing! BUT – I made sure to go through those rooms, much like the others, in the same crazy way you did. We threw out anything we could part with . The rooms with the signs were the rooms we live in. We do have a cat and now that I vacuum every couple of days again, I’m shociked to see in my bagless vacuum cleaner how much cat hair and carpet fiber comes up. It’s disgusting. The other rooms, with the doors closed, never have that hair because he doesn’t go in them. When he passes, NO more pets.
I’d like to also replace our carpeting but can’t afford to do so. But now that I’ve minimized these pests and rarely see the larvae, I find the beetles most often in the crack of the hardwood floors in our open foyer. Now that you and I are being more careful, I think they have fewer places to call home. WE still continue to find ways to better store things in our closets to prevent another infestation.
Melissa, hoping His peace will keep you and the little ones.
21 January 2010, 11:58 amkatie:
Thanks for the reminder Robin and don’t worry there is no way I’m letting these things cut into my quality time with my boys. They come first! I think I’ve always paid attention to bugs because we have so many!! Just like you said Melissa…I live southeast of Houston in “swampland” and we’ve got lots of them. I don’t know if it’s still the same, but last I read our county has the highest number of species of birds in the nation. My heart goes out to you and your family and colicky baby. My second one was colicky and it was one of the hardest things to go through. It’s already 78 degrees here. It’s really nice. I was looking out the window today and there was a lady bug sitting on my blinds….that can only mean one thing…..carpet beetles ahead! I’m doing the best I can as far as vacuuming and everything else. Like you said Melissa it’s hard to be perfect when you’ve got kiddos so we just have to do our best!
21 January 2010, 3:55 pmMelissa:
Robin,
22 January 2010, 1:17 amHow long ago did you start to notice you had a carpet beetle problem and how did you find out it was carpet beetles? It took me days before I concluded that was what I had. I am just so thankful that it is not bed bugs or something like that… Now that to me is totally gross! And I know what you mean about how much the vacuum picks up and how dirty a house can get just in a few days. When I was vacuuming everyday, I still saw a lot of dust and dirt in my canister vacuum. I am so glad I didn’t have a bag vacuum… I was emptying my vacuuming everyday as I heard you have to empty it right after vacuuming to get the bugs in the trash where they belong instead of back in your house.. and I was doubly safe and stored my vacuum in the garage. And I too am always finding better ways to store things too. I have spent so much money on plastic stotage bins.
Melissa:
Katie,
22 January 2010, 1:40 amYeah I know what you mean about the colicky baby… daughter number 2 was colicky too and I kept thinking to myself…. no way that I can have another colicky baby… yeah right. I spoke too soon. But she is getting better so I see and end in sight. Now if I can just get her to sleep through the night. But in all honesty, having a baby has forced me to think about other things instead of constantly thinking about those nasty carpet beetles. But I know I can’t ever forget them… Here it has been a very mild winter in Oregon… High temps have been in the 50’s which is very warm for Oregon standards… not sure if that is warm enough to make those larva move on to adult hood. But I have not seen any live beetles for months. I am just hopping to maintain until spring time hits. I havent seen any larve either… oops I shouldnt say that… you know…. I am going to find some tomorrow now! UGH
Robin:
Melissa,
22 January 2010, 1:19 pmWe went MONTHS before I identified my beetles. The online pictures (magnified to show details) just didn’t look to me like what we had, maybe because we came across more larvae pictures than that of adult beetles. WE have lady bugs in our area (big invasion but completely harmless) so my husband thought maybe these were younger versions of them because of the spotted look. Only after I started seeing them EVERYwhere did I realize I had a problem, locked them up in a ziplog bag and took them to my local extension agency to get a professional, unbiased identification. By then, it was way too late because of their habits. Our delay caused the infestation. WE’ve paid a very high price for that. VERY hard lesson learned. No telling how many are under the carpet yet, just waiting to hatch out and start the cycle all over again. I pray we can sell and move some day without taking them with us. I really should call the agency again and see what else they can offer in the way of advice. Like anything else – no magical pill.
Melissa:
Robin,
22 January 2010, 3:54 pmI too had “lady bugs” in my house. I kept seeing them and the girls thought they were so cute! We would play with them and then let them loose outside! I can’t believe it. When I found out they were carpet beetles, I was shoked! I am no lady bug expert and had no idea what size a lady bug is, so naturally I thought that is what they were. They looked just like a lady bug! Now I tell the girls if they see a “lady bug” then they are to let me know. I will squash it sooooo hard! It is pretty ironic and funny… but around halloween time (which happens to be the time that I was going crazy here trying to get rid of them) I saw a little lady bug costume… I was like “now wouldn’t that be appropriate for my little one to wear to our church’s harvest fest”. LOL
Anyway I did think to myself when I kept seeing lady bugs that it was pretty weird… but it was spring time and I just kept thinking they were getting in from outside. I had no idea they were originating from inside my home!!!! So I did nothing about it…. I didn’t realize I had an infestation until fall time when I kept seeing those larve around. By then I had a massive infestation throughout the whole house. I am not looking forward to spring. I like to leave my windows open, but I know my screens don’t fit tight as I have seen bugs hanging out between the glass and the screen just waiting to get in. I think I might have to duct tape them around the edges…. any suggestions on that topic would be appreciated… other wise I will be living here with the windows closed tight….
I too would love to sell, but we are upside right now as we only bought a couple years ago.
Melissa:
Hey Tim,
22 January 2010, 3:56 pmI have a question. I bought a shark steamer to clean my house with and I thought it would maybe work if I used it along the baseboards of my house… you know steam those nasty bugs to death. What do you think?
Tim Eisele:
It probably depends on just how hot the steam is, and how long they are exposed. According to Wikipedia, there are some claims that a proper steam cleaner can kill dust mites, so they could probably do the same to carpet beetle larvae. However, this would probably only work reliably if they came in direct contact with the steam, and even a shallow crack would give them a lot of protection from the steam. You would probably have to go very slowly to make sure that the hot steam penetrated fully into the cracks, so I would expect it to take a long time.
Barbara:
Hello everybody,
Wow, lots of posts over the last few days!
I’ve been looking at using heat to get rid of these bugs for a while. Here is a really good temperature chart, on how high the temp needs to be to kill: http://www.thermapureheat.com/pdf/heat_chart.pdf
From this web site: http://www.thermapureheat.com
Article on beetles: http://www.thermapureheat.com/wood-boring-beetles.php
I found this company when I was doing research, they are a US company with lots of businesses using their technology. They even have some in Canada
One of the things holding me back is the expense. I’m not in a single family dwelling, so it would be silly to get my place done, and the neighbours still have them.
But once I find a place to move to, I think I’ll do this and then run like he+double hockey sticks!
… and just so there is no confusion I’m not associated / affiliated with any business to do with extermination etc.
Melissa and Robin, you say your carpet beetles look like ‘lady bugs’? I’m going to have another look at what the ones that live here look like. The health inspector and the exterminator told me that is what they were, but then I never took my glasses out to really look at them. Without glasses they were black last year. Last I read, those would be Larder Beetles, still part of the dermestid beetle family … and probably not treated any different than carpet beetles. But I’m not an expert on any of this.
23 January 2010, 12:00 am… they have a post page here too I see, but not anywhere as good as this one!
From what I heard, carpet beetles and such like to get out in the spring, I don’t know b/c of where you live (Texas) if ducting the windows is such a good idea … it would be a way out. But from what I remember about living in Arizona, there is other stuff that could come in too.
Robin, I’m a Virgo too … I thought the OCD stuff was just me, thanks for sharing! I’m going to get out my shop vac and do all 3 floors again with that, they are due and by what I’m reading it’s going to be an early spring with some problems.
Tim or anyone, I’d like to know what the eggs look like?
please!
Thanks,
Barbara
PS colicky babies … slippery elm bark as a fine powder works very well, found at your local health food store or herbal shop
Robin:
I think everyone undertands but just to clear up any confusion for newcomers. Ladybugs and carpet beetles are indeed two VERY different things. Ladybugs are those cute little things we see every time the weather changes and are the cutesie things we see in kitchen decor and in Halloween costumes. They are very large and are orange-red vs the black with lighter spots of a varied carpet beetle, which is microscopic in comparison. Our first thought, early on, was that perhaps what we were seeing baby ladybugs, only because of the shape. We were really just thinking out loud. AGAIN – these are two very different things.
Ladybugs cause NO harm whatsoever in a home. No need to fear them at all for any reason. And no reason to worry about how to get rid of them. They will die shortly after entering your home all on their own. You’ll see them here and there, often belly-up.
The only possible connection between the two is that carpet beetles will eat any protein based item – hence the reason they gravitate to certain things. Clear up your dead ladybugs so as not to offer a HUGE meal for your greedy carpet beetles. 
23 January 2010, 5:16 pmMelissa:
Hello Everyone!
23 January 2010, 9:38 pmSo yes Robin, lady bugs are different than carpet beetles but can be so similar that a trained eye can only differentiate them. The ones I had in my house looked just like them… I mean in color and apperance. There are way too many varieties of carpet beetles. So one person might have the black carpet beetle variety and one might have to varied carpet beetle. Mine were of 2 kinds… I know… I wasnt even lucky to have just one type! I had some that were yellow color with black spots and I had some that were red with black spots. I found that out when I was doing my major cleaning a few months back. I have not seen a live beetle for a while… and I think it is still too cold here in Oregon for us to see any right now.
Barbara…. thanks for the info on the colic baby. I wish I had met you a couple months ago when I was tearing my hair out of my head!! LOL She is almost 3 months and has greatly improved in the crying area. It is funny though… she will start crying around 9:00 PM and cries straight bloody murder until 10 PM when she goes to bed. I am hoping in a couple weeks that will go away too. Also I have not been able to find pictures of the eggs either. I searched for days on the web for some and I was unsucessful.
katie:
I love lady bugs…I always gently pick them up and put them back outside.
23 January 2010, 10:23 pmEileen:
Melissa,
Thank you for replying to me months ago. I am sorry that I did not respond, but I did not check this website again until recently. I appreciate your comments and suggestions. Also, congratulations on your new baby! (I read the postings from the past few months).
Since I posted my problem, I actually hired a new exterminator. I did this at the end of October. My husband was not happy to spend $1300, plus the $700 we already spent on the previous exterminator. Also, I have thrown out clothes, toys and rugs in my home. In addition, like many of you, I have done countless loads of laundry. All in all, I figure that I am out several thousand dollars from carpet beetles.
The new exterminators took a different approach. Of course, I had to wash everything in every dresser and closet. I had to repeat what I had done starting in April (with the previous exterminator) and pack up the whole house again to prepare for the spraying. The exterminators gave me a prep sheet about what to do. It is actually the same preparation that people do for bed bugs (washing everything in every closet and dresser and placing all throw pillows in a dryer for 25 minutes. This includes bagging all clothes after they are washed.) The new company explained that the beetles had gotten into my wall voids and that is why they went through my entire home (basement all the way up into my actic). They had to drill small holes in my home to put in chemicals in order to get to the carpet beetles in my walls. They also took off the outlet covers and placed dust in them. Chemicals were also dusted in open cracks everywhere in the house. They used a “cocktail” of chemicals including one that makes the beetles sterile so they can not reproduce. The company explained that bombing a home for these bugs is not effective. The previous company I had used bombed my house twice. This current service includes a 90 day warranty. The company has been very nice and knowledgeable. They were the only exterminators that would help me after I called several about my problem and explained that I had used a previous exterminator. No company wanted to touch my case after I told them I bombed twice and then sprayed my home 7 times. The new company said that many exterminators don’t like to take carpet beetles cases because they are very hard to get rid of. The new exterminators seem to have more experience with carpet beetles. They removed panels from my drop ceiling in my basement and saw a trail through dust. This means that the beetles were eating dust in the ceiling as well as in my walls. The previous company had only dealt with several carpet beetle cases in the past 10 years. I realize now that they did not know enough about carpet beetles even though the owner had 50 years experience. He kept telling me how rare it was to have them and that my infestation was the worse that he had seen in his career. The new company said that my case is not unusual and they have seen beetles throughout homes like mine. So far the new exterminators have come 4 times (the 5th will be on Monday). I call whenever I see one alive and the come back and spray (the dusting was only involved in the first treatment). Now my 90 days will end soon with the copmpany and I am not convinced that they are completely gone from the house. Although I have seen a big decreasse and I feel this new company has a handle on the problem and seems to know what they are doing. So I signed up for a one year treatment program. For $95 every three months, the company will come back to spray my home (including closets so I will have to empty the closets every three months). They will also return anytime to spray when I see the bugs. The exterminators will set up a monitoring system in the home to track where the bugs are mostly being seen.
The exterminator told me several things. Since it is cold now and heat is on and the walls can be cold and hot, carpet beetles move around alot in walls during this time of year. He said they sometimnes can be in insulation in homes especially, old ones where horse hair used to be used to make insulation. (This is not my case, although I have an 80 year old home, I had my house gutted several years ago and redid the entire home with new insulation). He also said to cover up as many openings around my home as possible in order to prevent them from coming in. He said that it is possible to completely get rid of carpet beetles, but it takes time(around 6-8 months with an exterminator) because you have to break down the reproductive cycle. My situation has been going on for longer because I originally used a company with little experience with these bugs. The new company explained that you have to find the food source, so once you locate it, the problem should be better. In my case, I threw out everything they were found on and/or had them dry cleaned and washed at home. It was frustrating because I kept seeing them and I couldn’t figure out what the food source was after I removed everything I found them eating. Now I know that they are eating dust and dirt in my walls, so they still have a food source. I signed on for the yearly service because they said that with carpet beetles you really have to do this in order to keep on top of them and eventually get rid of them.
Thank you for reading this long posting. I just wanted to share with everyone some things that have helped me. I feel confident that I may get rid of these bugs eventually, but it will take some time. It is nice to know that I am not the only person with this problem. I don’t know anyone who has this problem and none of my family or friends have ever heard of carpet beetles. I didn’t until I was told by an exterimator last year that I had them. I wish everyone luck on their quest to rid their homes of carpet beetles.
24 January 2010, 2:07 amBarbara:
Hello everyone,
… thanks Robin!
24 January 2010, 2:48 amLadybugs are cute indeed, I would not want to confuse anyone!
… and are often used for pest control in the garden
You are right Robin, I’ve never heard of ladybugs being a problem for anyone, never mind being a “somethings” crawling in my hair! Here is a pic: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/ladybug.html
Read some of the posts, and looked. Larder beetles don’t look cute at all, here is a pic: http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/natural/insects/bugsfaq/larder.htm
Went to look for pics of Varied Carpet beetle too: http://www.abellpestcontrol.com/pests/carpet-beetle
I guess there are loads of bugs around!
Just learned how to make a winky face too
Melissa, around 8:55 pm hold both of her hands in yours, with one of your thumbs in the palm of her hands, at the same time, it’s just a very soft holding and a gentle rub if she likes … it is very soothing … You probably do it already!
Barbara:
Eileen,
24 January 2010, 2:58 amThank you for all of that info.
Good to hear, and hope it works!
Where abouts do you live?
Robin:
Thank you, Barbara, for the post of those pics to help folks actually SEE the difference. “A picture speaks a thousand words.” Lady bugs are plenty big enough and much different than these tiny pests we’re dealing with to ever be confused with one another. And, thanks alot for adding the larder beetle to the mix.
Eileen, I’m worrying about the amount of pesticides going into your home. Are you sure you want to go that route? I would encourage you to check with your local cooperative extension agency. They are an UNbiased source of entomologists – experts on bugs.
Most of us here have gone through this extensive cleaning and discarding you spoke of. While I feel confident I can say I no longer have an infestation in my living space, I can’t be positive there is not a huge family reunion going on in my walls. And, as explained by the extension agency, since the beetles come in from outdoors, we’re as likely to have them come back in much like we might find the unwelcomed gnat, mosquito, ant, etc. That’s where the vacuuming comes in to play.
Here’s a blurb I found on the site of an extension agency:
“Carpet beetle larvae resemble small hairy caterpillars but the adult stage is a beetle. These insects are scavengers that feed on a range of materials, particularly natural fibers – cotton, wool, processed grains, and animal matter, such as leather, feathers, and hair. Sanitation is the main way to deal with them but it is difficult to remove all items on which they can feed. Small amounts of crumbs in carpet and dead insects in wall voids are examples of out-of the way development sites. Thorough vacuuming and cleaning is the best way to deal with them.”
It is our frustration after great effort that has been in vain, that brings a few of us here time after time to our little support group, as I’ve named it, to encourage one another. That, and the hope one of us will come up with something new. So far, that’s not happened. We just keep spinning our wheels.
At the end of the day, there is not enough CALGON to “take us away” from this.
As for colicky babies – luckily little ones do grow up. Hang in there, Melissa. Our firstborn had it and it went away after about 3 months of it. Not much longer now. Hope you can get some rest.
24 January 2010, 11:44 amEileen:
Robin and Barbara,
Thank you for your responses. Barbara, I live on Long Island in New York.
Robin, I have been very concerned about the amount of chemicals in my home. I have 3 small children (18 months, 3 and 6). We leave the house each time for a few hours when the exterminator comes and we wait until the chemicals dry. I am torn about using the chemicals, but I feel that I have to do this to get rid of the carpet beetles. I only have one room in my home with carpeting (the basement). Even with vacumming, they managed to get throughout my entire house.
Unfortunately, I have sprayed so much because the first exterminators just kept spraying. They did not know how to solve my problem. The spraying lowered the number of bugs, but they were not completely gone. By inserting dust throughout my walls and outlets, I am hoping to get to where they are living (my walls). Also the chemical, Gentrol, which makes the beetles sterile, will help to prevent them from reproducing. The previous exterminator did not use this chemical.
I think when you have a severe investation like I did, it is hard to get rid of these bugs by yourself. I think it is very important to find an exterminator who really knows how to get a handle on carpet beetles. The owner of the current company I am using is an entomologist. He and his staff are very knowledgable about carpet beetles. I learned from my experience that not all exterminators really know what they are doing when it comes to these bugs. Although I don’t want to spend the money and expose my family to chemicals, I feel that I don’t have any other choice.
Thank you for your input and support.
24 January 2010, 4:06 pmRobin:
I hear ya, Eileen. When we had our house sprayed/treated (twice) for this, we stayed in a hotel boht times. It’s just the two of us but we did worryabout our cat. It is scary! And very hard to know what to do. Thinking about you and your little ones.
Good luck! And hang in there. Worst case, we all MINIMIZE our numbers with our efforts. Most of us have seen that. It’s better than what we started with. They may be behind the walls laughing at us, doing a little jig all the while. But I do a dance myself when I catch one and flush it down the toilet.
25 January 2010, 3:31 pmEileen:
Robin,
I laughed when I read your posting about flushing the bugs down the toilet. I do the same thing when I find one! The exterminator came today and set up a monitoring system throughout the house. He will come back in a few weeks to see if there are bugs on them. Hopefully, they will be empty!
25 January 2010, 7:28 pmMike:
discover blog search for info crawling & flying carpet beetles + larvae pupae eggs huge infestion last year treat 6x numbers reduced but still problem beside larvae we have black things that are not crawling there is so much that i think its pupae look for picture not find any body here now? we clean almost every day we have white stuff that maybe eggs stuck to ice cream bucket and under closet shelves any one here have? would apreciate help thank you
25 January 2010, 9:37 pmmichelle harvey:
i have been dealing with carpet beetls 4 2 years! theyre eating all my cotton shirts i have speant thousands of dollars i also had my house treated with heat 4 3 thousand dollars and it didnt work! in the two years ive seen only 3 adult beatles cast skins behind my dresser which were positvely identified by an entamologist and cast skins in my furnice filter which also have been positively id in these 2 years i have not seen a larvae yet all my shirts are being ruined i did have a mouse infestation which i believe is wthey originatd the are now gone and openings where they were getting in have been sealed with concrete i too need a carpet beetle support group! help!
26 January 2010, 4:34 pmMelissa:
Eileen,
27 January 2010, 7:30 pmI know how you feel about not wanting to use chemicals in your home due to your children. I too have very small children and am afraid to use them. But everyone has different situations… and different degrees of severity of these bugs. It is hard to get rid of them completely by just cleaning if you can’t get to the source. My source was a birds nest in our attic that got there because the builders who built our house did not do the siding properly and left a gap in the attic. We finally go rid of our birds nest, which was a very long story on what happened with that. And I think I managed to bring the levels down to minor in my house after having a major infestation through out my house. I mean I probably squashed or sucked up hundreds of those larvae. It took me over a month of vacuuming everyday every corner of my house before I started to see results. I have not seen a live larvae for months. But I know they are probably still here. The reason why I did not spray is because I could not afford to and because I read so much that even though people had their houses sprayed the problem did not go away. But it sounds to me that you have an exterminator that knows what they are doing. I hope this works for you. Please let us know how it goes and if it ends up working for you. We all could use new info on how to get rid of these bugs.
Melissa:
Robin,
27 January 2010, 7:33 pmYou are so funny about the flushing them down the toilet… for me I had to squish them hard…. to make sure they were actually dead. I could just imagine the ones in my house haging on the bottom of the toilet and refusing to get flushed…. I think I have super bugs in my house.
Melissa:
Here is something you will all get a kick out of. I was dealing with the carpet beetles right before I delivered my baby. And do you know that when I was in the hospital get ready to have my baby I was scouring the room for bugs and I made my husband investigate a black spot on the wall to see if it was a carpet beetle. And on my way to the hospital I kept telling my husband that while I was in the hospital he had to keep up the cleaning and vacuuming… he just looked at me like RIGHT!!!!!
27 January 2010, 7:38 pmRobin:
Melissa, you wouldn’t by any chance be a Virgo, would you? I am. YOur suggestion to have your husband keep up your effort while going into labor is something I’d do. Very funny! Poor guy! He’s on his way to have the next baby, probably worrying about any number of things with baby #4 on the way and this is what you come up with. Childbirth is a piece of cake compared to this, right, ladies?!
29 January 2010, 8:14 pmMelissa:
Robin,
30 January 2010, 1:36 pmNo I am a Cancer. Not sure what cancers are notorious for. But I do have OCD. But over the years I have seen my OCD tendacies reduced until this carpet beetle situation arose. And then it was on…. my OCD was back full force… the worst I have ever been. I am not looking forward to spring time. My house needs to be vacuumed detailed and I just have not had the time to do it. I told my husband that I am really needing to get started back on it before spring comes and from my understanding spring will be here sooner than expected because of the El Nino year we are having. It has been a very mild winter for us here in Oregon. I wish it would snow all year long… keep those bugs at minimal levels.
katie:
mmk so I don’t know if this will make ya’ll feel better but I’m staying at my mother in laws right now and she lives alone in a gigantic two story house in a super fancy neighborhood hardly even goes upstairs which has a nice den area, bedrooms, office, baths etc….well in the corner of the bathroom what do I see? Yep that’s right…..carpet beetle larvae…
30 January 2010, 10:36 pmRobin:
Katie, tell her to start spending more time up there. Hand her a vacuum cleaner and box of XXXL ziplocs.
30 January 2010, 10:58 pmkatie:
yep I should shouldn’t I haha….for some reason that’s easier said than done!
31 January 2010, 12:53 amBarbara:
Katie, I had to laugh when I read your posts … and harder when I read Robins’
31 January 2010, 1:42 ambut maybe it’s just me, but I wouldn’t say a word except maybe to your husband
And you know what to do when you get home
Barbara:
Michelle, sorry to hear about all of that
31 January 2010, 1:52 amwhere abouts in the world are you?
do you have any wollen scarves, skirts, etc?
they LUV that stuff!
Barbara:
Mike, can you explain a bit more please?
31 January 2010, 1:59 amre: “black things that are not crawling” … and “white stuff” what does it look like? exactly?
… and could you please use punctuation ie: .?!
I had a heck of time trying to figure out what you were saying. I do not know about anyone else here but I don’t blog, text, or do too much shorthand thank you
katie:
Yep Barbara that Robin’s a funny one! And I think I’m gonna have to agree with you Barbara, and believe you me my husband’s already been informed!
31 January 2010, 9:04 ammichelle harvey:
I live in ohio and had a major mouse infestation a year ago solved that problem no more mice and cleaned up everything we found but couple days ago found an old mouse nest made with 3 of my socks and saw a carpet beetle cast skin . nest located above duct system in the basement cleaned that up but completely impossible to get all the mouse droppings!ew! I had my air ducts cleaned 2x $395 each time I’m having it done again and I bought tempo 1% with a duster online recomended by an entamologist I’m going to dust inside every light switsh cover outlet cover and lihgt in my house one room at a time an exterminating company drilled small holes above baseboards all along outer walls of my house 8 inches apart and put insecticide dust in all the holes because the mice run along outer walls of house so thats probably where the beetle larva are. I vacume every day also these suckers are eating all my cotton shirts now i”m to the point wher I’m just angry with the situation I am determined to get rid of them I cannot live with these forever I’m not giving up I will try everything ang anything that might work I did do the heat tx as I said $3,ooo in trash (it didnt work) not to mention the damage the heat caused to my floor etc. still determined. so glad I found this web site with others that know exactly what Im going through I stopped talking to peoplr about it because they dont believe me and think im crazy.what I really dont understand is why they are set on eating my clothes. Ihave pleanty of mouse poop (which I heard they feed on not to mention pet hair I also read they feed on the poision they use in mouse baits) why do they have to go after my clothes and not all the other food sources I seem to have
31 January 2010, 11:03 amRobin:
Michelle, when they did your air duct cleaning, how did they go about it? I’m envisioning a HOOVER beyond my wildest dreams. And who did it for you? We were fortunate in that we never saw evidence of them in or around our clothing. But I always look. And of course every time I have an itch (plenty of that in this frigid weather) I automatically assume they’re in my clothes. “Pants on the ground, pants on the ground….”
Hey, if we lose our sense of humor, then those little buggers really win.
31 January 2010, 2:59 pmmichelle harvey:
just had my air ducts cleaned for third time in two years. had mighty ducts do it this time wouldn’t go with anyone else the others were a waist of money.I dusted under all baseboards inside every outlet cover every light switch plate and every ceiling light as recommended by an entamologist also having my exterminating comp come monday to dust undr air duct system inceiling of basement we’ll see what happens I’ll be watching for any bug activity
5 February 2010, 11:49 am