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.
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This is so depressing, I want to cry. I just stumbled upon this site after researching these nasty annoying bugs. I found them in my bedroom a week ago and life sucks now. Even worse because we had a bout with bedbugs a few years ago and I thought that was awful…apparently I have been chosen as the person to deal with every pesky awful pervasive bug that exists….I guess the good news is that me and my family are healthy and this is not a life threatening issue. But the thought of NEVER being able to get rid of them really depresses me.
Jane,
I think everyone here can totally relate to how you are feeling. It is a horrible thing to have to deal with. I have literally cried over these things. Like we are not busy enough, now we have to add a whole list of things on top of the list we already have to do everyday. And you have a good perspective on the fact that these bugs are not out to get us… they just want to eat our clothes, furniture, carpet etc. That is honestly what gave me a piece of mind…. to me this is better than dealing with bed bugs…. OMG! That must have been aweful. I am so sorry you have been dealing with all this bug situation. Believe me, I can relate… not that it is any consulation to what you are going through. And honestly like many people on this site have said, many more people have them in their homes and they just don’t know they have them. The best solution in my opinion is CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN…. That truely will keep them to a minimum. I had about a dozen live beetles in my house last week and now I am waiting to see where the larva are going to end up. At least we know what they are and now we can be vigilent.
Robin.
You are so funny! I wish they could all see the violent killings of their brothers and sisters and report back to camp…. And let me tell you… there are some killings going on in my house.
It was so funny… I got an ad in the paper from a retail store and they were advertising a sale on vacuums…. I was pretending I was reading the ad to my husband…”CARPET BEETLE WORST NIGHTMARE …Lowest price on the number one carpet beetle killing machine… this vacuum will suck up any size, any number, any where….and included is the special of the day… comes with an extra long suction attachment to get those pests in the hard to reach places.” He was busting up laughing.
Melissa…Love it! That is so funny!
I have killed so many adult beetles lately… but they keep coming. I was sitting on the sofa the other evening and noticed a dot on my foot. It was an adult carpet beetle just strolling along the top of my foot. I figured he was heading for the window on the other side of the sofa. When I picked it up, it just continued on its journey over my hand. I’m starting to think these are amazing little buggers.
brava4…LOL
I feel like I am in the calm before the storm. I have seen about a dozen or more live beetles in my house during the past 2 weeks and I have not seen many larva lately. I was seeing a ton of larva in the laundry room and the downstairs bathroom and I have killed about 50 of them. But the past week all I have seen are the live beetles. I know the eggs are just waiting to open up the storm… it is a matter of time. And I have so much other stuff going on in my life right now that I have not been able to vacuum the entire house every day.
Eileen,
So now that spring is here, have your numbers still been reduced? I am just interested to know if that product you had used might be a big contributing factor. I unfortunately am very worried about using any chemicals in my house, so that is not an option for me. I will just try to get rid of them by cleaning and praying. But others might be interested to know what works in reducing the numbers.
We’re seeing lots of adult beetles here now too (B.C.), mostly in the window frames. Anyone know where to find a house-sized Zip-Loc bag?!
I don’t know if I want to laugh, cry or both!
… I’m just getting caught up on all the posts here … you guys are so funny, and I’m reading the EVERY DAY cleaning part … and sigh, man I have not been doing that again because I’ve not seen any larvae or adults yet this year.
I was doing some surfing again, and read that some people have this pest in their vehicles.
Does anyone have that problem? Just curious to see if it’s one more thing to watch for. When I ditched all of my stuff last year, I put it all in the car and took it to the dump. There were a few trips. I would imagine because it gets so cold here, it would just freeze them all out of a car if they had been there. Any thoughts?
Barbara,
I do think the freezing might kill them. But the problem with the freezing, from what I have read, is that it has to go from warm directly to a freezing temp in order for it to work. It is the dramatic temp change that kills them. Otherwise, I think they just hibernate… especially the eggs… they can wait until the conditions are right. But I think if you are not seeing evidence of anything then I think you are safe. If there was an infestation, it would start being evident by spring time I would think. I know I tell my husband that I would worry about that too as we have leather seats. Does anyone know about the leather shoes? I just thought of that. I would like to move my house to antartica for a while…. HMMMM????
It’s not even offically spring yet and here they are – full force. I saw 2 just now in my foyer. I was down to vacuuming once a week in these coldest months. Time to ratchet back up on that. Cuz that’s what I want to do with my sunny days.
My husband and I had noticed the past week the sound of the little toads as we drive home (country roads) and remarked on how it goes from not hearing them to BOOM! It’s sort of like that with the beetles but I never got a full break between the seasons. And now, seeing them in greater numbers completely destroys me. I am not a happy camper. But they surely are. Can you imagine if we could charge these little buggers. Rich, I tell you. RICH!
I was having a good time preparing St Pat’s meal but bummed now. It’s 4:15 p.m. Is it too early for a glass of Pinot Noir?
Hello,
Melissa, yes thanks for the reminder I should have remembered that. I finished vacuuming the car out this past week, (just before it dropped to -10 again) and I will watch as it gets warmer. I also have a bit of leather in the car. They like leather anything … I did freeze all my leather items, including the mukluks and moccasins and yup, put it all into Ziploc bags and containers.
Robin, under these conditions 4:15 isn’t early enough 😉
I tried to find some info on the black pepper being feces … and there sure is a lot of other bugs that do the same. … and no pictures.
I can’t vacuum the house every day anymore … and I guess when and if they come back like last year I will have to find the time and energy to do that.
Ladies and Gentleman… Beetles and Beetets…
I’m sorry I haven’t been back in a while, I’ve been too busy doing my victory dance.
Since doing the things in my last post, I have been completely beetle free.
Am I skeptical? Sure, there could be larva waiting to strike at any moment, but we’ve still yet to see any actual larva since the beginning. In fact, we actually never found a beetle outside of the kitchen/dining room/living room.
We emptied my wife’s closet (this took a whole day), and found no holes or sign of the beetles.
I continued to scrub the floors, had the exterminator come by weekly (admittedly, this was paid for by the apartment building) and sit on my kitchen floor at night with a flashlight and bug spray while rocking back and forth.
The JT Eaton Bed Bug spray seemed to do the trick, too. Once we got rid of the few in the living room, I only found dead ones in the kitchen.
Also, as I said, I scrubbed the tops, bottoms, insides and outsides of my oven and fridge with bleach. My dishwasher was scrubbed, as well (what you don’t know is that I’m actually the dishwasher).
We’ve had no traces of beetles, and have slowly regained our sanity over these past couple of weeks.
Every time I started to get down, and felt like I couldn’t defeat the beetles I just watched this – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgaPSAGDd0k
Trust me… watch it, and get to killing!!
There is a cure! We can defeat them!! I believe!!!
TOPH……LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL!
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AWESOME TOPH!
It sounds like you have taken man kind to a whole new level….. And your human skills have paid off! You probably attacked the problem head on and early. I unfortunately was totally clueless and let the problem go because I didn’t know what was going on. But this Spring I have seen much less activity than I did last spring. And I too have not experienced any damage to clothing with the exception of one pair of my husbands wool pants and even that was a very tiny hole at the bottom of the pant leg. So we are fortunate unlike many others who have had to throw hundreds of dollars worth of clothing away. I am going to try to talk my husband into putting lamanent flooring in and redo the baseboards which need replacing anyhow. At that point I will caulk like no tomorrow and hopefully that will reduce my numbers too.
Has anyone heard about the new thing with the UV light that is supposed to kill bugs?
The UV-Light Wand uses 100% chemical-free UV-C sterilization to sanitize objects and surfaces. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UV-C) is lightning-fast in killing all DNA-based organisms. Use the UV-Light Wand for protection against bacteria viruses including SARS, clostridium.difficile, anthrax, avian bird flu, and hoof and mouth disease. The UV-Light Wand is setting the new industry standard in convenient portable UV-C sterilization. This guarantees a 99.9% kill rate of bacteria viruses including dust mites & bed bugs. The UV-Sterilize Wand can be easily used to sanitize objects like pillows, mattresses, countertops, keyboards and toilet. There are unlimited potential uses for Purelight in households, hospital, healthcare industries, and home.”
I just read the post on UV light but hoe would it work if bugs are inside walls or under baseboards doesn’t the light have to directly hit them?As for the pillow example I think its only effective on the outside what about what may be inside?
I can’t imagine all that bleach. It’s so gross.
hahahahaha … that is great Toph! So now our CB support group might have a name … Beetles and Beetets:) I’ll be chuckling for a while, thank you Toph 🙂
Bleach is gross, all that cleaning worked … I can’t use it as I developed an allergy years ago.
Melissa, I have to wonder about that UV-Light Wand too like Michelle is … I googled it and read their little article on mattresses http://www.uvcleanpros.com/howtocleanamattress.html … and I wonder why they would say: “Thoroughly vacuum your mattresses once a week. … Use zippered mattress and pillow coverings along with finely woven …” I’m thinking it can’t penetrate stuff like walls, couches, and pillows … but I don’t know that for sure. I do think that it could work effectively at penetrating thin-walled germs like viruses and bacteria, but I don’t know if carpet beetles are thin walled. Anyone else?
I went home last night and found ants… and ants and more ants. Thank God for TERRO!!! Now if it only worked on Carpet beetles.
I’m so glad to have found this site. Over the last week, I’ve found a total of 10 larvae in the bottoms of 3 of my closets. Through searching online, I’ve determined they’re Black Carpet Beetle larvae. I’ve still yet to see a live adult beetle, but when cleaning one bedroom closet (with sliding mirrored doors), I found 2 dead ones inside the closet door track. Believe me… I squished the heck out of them, just to ensure they were REALLY dead!
Though I realize that 10 larvae aren’t comparable to what some of you have gone through, I have a feeling this may be only the beginning of my fight. I live in a house that’s 80 – 100 years old, on the second floor. Above me is an empty, unfinished attic, the floor of which the previous tenant covered with foam (?) and old carpet. With my newly discovered carpet beetle knowledge, I shudder to think of how many may be living up there 🙁
I’m going straight out to purchase a Shop-Vac tomorrow. I’ve heard good things about Ortho Home Defense spray, although the bleach is sounding pretty good right now, too. I’m just so afraid for my down-filled, coyote fur winter coat becoming compromised – it’s already wrapped in a clear plastic bag, taped up at the top. I also don’t want to lose my vintage hand-knit Norwegian sweaters… I suppose I’ll have to drop these off at the dry cleaners, just in case.
It’s so hard not to think about these horrid things just waiting in the walls… I can’t wait to spray the entire apartment as soon as I can. And, by the way, I tried calling my landlord twice; left a message yesterday alluding to the problem. He hasn’t yet called me back, so I think I may be on my own.
Welcome Renate. Clean, clean, clean, and vacuum, vacuum, vacuum, vacuum….and most importantly don’t drive yourself insane. It will take time, patience, and persistence. I understand that having a clean house won’t necessarily keep them from coming, but it does help to eliminate them.
Thanks for the message, Katie!
I think that’s what it comes down to – cleaning constantly, obsessively, eternally! I’m not sure exactly how I’ll keep from going insane, but I’ll keep it in mind :p
Right now, every time I enter my bedroom, they’re all I can think about. I have incredibly itchy red welts which look like “bites” in a couple of places. Although, from reading up on carpet beetles, I realize they’re symptoms of an allergy to the hairs of the larvae, which must have been stirred around in the dust on the floor during my recent cleaning frenzy. I do have quite sensitive skin, although when I have had reactions to other things, I’d usually break out in hives, which would be gone within 24 hours. The welts are still there, and still itchy – which I find worrisome.
Anyway, after washing all my sheets & bedclothes, and sleeping last night with a long-sleeved, clean shirt and my pyjama pants tucked into my socks, I was glad to not have incurred any more of these red spots. I can only hope that following nights will be similarly spot-free…
What do those of you with allergies do? Do you take extra antihistamines, spray with a variety of chemicals, and hope for the best? I’m hesitant to do the same, but I really want them gone 🙁
One question I’d like to ask you all, since you’ve had more collective experience dealing with these bugs than I have… what vaccuum should I get? Which one is best to completely demolish these evil little things and their entire families??
I was thinking of a Shop Vac, but they’re reputed to be leaky – NOT something I want when trying to remove bugs. Dyson sound amazing, but expensive.
Suggestions?
Renate,
As you have read so many of us have gone bonkers when we discovered these things. But the best advice… calm yourself and do what you can, don’t be surprised if you clean like a maniac and then see more of them. It is, unfortanately, the nature of the beast.
Hello Renate,
My experience is that the shop vac is great, I don’t use a bag in it either. I just dump out the canister when I’m done. You could put the whole thing out side, or Tim I think it was suggested putting a plastic bag around the tube end, and securing it with an elastic band. Other vacuums, I have an old electrolux with a brush for the carpet area … I use both the brush on the carpets, and the shop vac. I thought about getting a better vacuum but my thought was why spend so much money on something I would have to throw out when it’s time to move … I rent too.
Re: your sweaters, and anything else that can’t be washed in hot water and then dried for at least 1.5 hours, take to the dry cleaners. I did not find that their plastic bags were thick or secure enough, so I put it all into those huge Ziploc bags, and then into a Rubbermaid container that does not have holes in the handles, for long term storage.
Sounds like OCD, but oh well … it is working for me.
Re: your down-filled, coyote fur coat, not sure if that is dry cleanable, if it is take it to the dry cleaners, if not put it into the freezer at -20 for a few days … then secure it.
Re: your landlord, my experience is that he/she is only responsible for fumigation … and nothing else, but check your laws in your area.
Where is your area?
Best thing would be to have the rugs ripped up, and clean up in the attic.
Re: your red welts and itchy spots … I hope that it is an just an allergic reaction to all the dust, and other things brought up from the cleaning you’ve been doing, it will calm down … the mere thought makes me itchy 🙂
I used homeopathy first, calamine lotion &/or oatmeal baths … and if that does not work fast enough then I might go to antihistamines, but maybe check with your doctor first before putting any drugs into your body.
I ended up having to have my place sprayed last year … my stuff was over run with black carpet beetle larvae and the adults. I and my animals left for the spraying, and stayed out overnight.
Keep cleaning, store away, everything off the floor and away from the walls as much as possible. Books, papers (yes the larvae get into that too) and stuff like that freeze and then store. un-clutter everything, not just to get rid of them, and also not give them something to eat, but also to take away any hiding places for the larvae … and it makes it so much easier to clean again later.
Good luck!
I agree with Barbara and am hoping that your itchiness is not from these things. Take a shower right after you do heavy duty cleaning and dusting, and baking soda and epsom salt work wonders for itchy irritated skin….I absolutely love epsom salt-it’s like miracle stuff for me. It’s good for itching, pain, bruises, sore muscles, and you know when you get a hang nail and your finger has a fever? epsom salt and warm water soak is the answer for that problem too. Take a benadryl too. Hopefully you won’t have that problem anymore and hopefully it’s just a random allergy.
You’re all really kind to post back so quickly. I’m sorry for my late response.
Yesterday, I developed more “bites” / red, itchy weals. This morning, I was practically covered in them! It seems that the more I get rid of, the more my skin reacts – is this even possible? I called in sick to work and headed for the hospital, as I have a history of violent allergic reactions in my skin. The doctor who finally saw me was less than sympathetic, and looked at me as though he thought I was making it up! I left with a five day prednisone prescription. What I’m going to do after it’s finished is beyond me. It’s not even helping that much; I’m still itching like crazy, and trying not to scratch.
Calamine lotion doesn’t seem to do much. I’ll try an oatmeal bath when I get up (after, of course, thoroughly cleaning the bathtub – it seems I have to clean everything now, before AND after I use it). Claritin would usually be my weapon of choice, and though I haven’t used it in a long while, I doubt even it will have much effect on this allergic reaction.
My landlord came by today. Oh, did I mention? There are pieces of a dead animal (what kind, I don’t know) in my attic. Feet, to be exact. I have a strong suspicion that the old insulation, old carpet and dead animal parts just might be the source of the carpet beetle problem. My elderly landlord is very unconcerned. I’m going to go through the Landlord / Tenant groups to try and force him to help me, or at least spray the house and clean the air vents.
Brava4, I really do feel like I’m starting to go insane. All I can think about are bugs, where they might be, and what I can / should do to stop / destroy them. What a nightmare this is becoming! 🙁
Barbara, I’m in Ontario, and here we have to first make a verbal request of the landlord, following it up with a formally written request. If there is still no action taken in “a reasonable amount of time” (ahem – NOW!), then the board of health and others can gradually get involved (as far as I can tell from the reading I’ve done). It sounds like you’ve got a grip on exactly what you need to do to manage your home environment. I bought a vacuum today and, while going through the rooms with the crevice tool, I noticed for the first time just what an old house this is, and just how badly it is falling apart. There are places for them to hide EVERYWHERE – in the baseboard mouldings, under the makeshift shelves (boards) in the closets, in the cracks in the walls where the foundation seems to be shifting (!)…
I never knew Ziploc made such gigantic bags, thanks! I’m doing my laundry and storing it all away inside them, bit by bit. I couldn’t find any plastic totes without holes in the handles, though.
Katie, Benadryl would be a great idea, except I’m allergic to it. It gives me hives 🙁 I will look for Epsom salts tomorrow. Thank you so much for the tip.
I’m going to have another shower, go to bed, and hope tomorrow morning is a bit less itchy…
Renate,
I know, I know. It can drive you nuts!! I saw a centipede last night on my living room wall and it was HUGE!! I killed it, well sorta, I knocked a few legs off it and it went somewhere. but as I went to sleep all I could think of was the damn centipede and how there could be more around. This thing was big.
Carpet beetles seem like nothing now.
Wish I was laughing about this. But this has affected my family’s health. People say there not harmfull but I’ve taken my son to the hospital many times for allergie issues due to this infestation problem. I have also had to stress about my fiances on going rash that has so affected his sleep and life in general. The rash is so bad it has consumed his body. These pests are far worse then anyone can ever imagen. And I’ve been told that I’m a neat and clean freak. So if I am such a clean freak why am i cleaning and finding these creapy things more and more? I hate bugs and freak when I see even a small ant or spider. And I live in an apartment.
the last activity I had with the beetles was february 27th on march 4th I used tempo dust in my outlet switch covers light fictures in the laundry room EVERYWHERE my kids don’t go in there cracks in the floors and drilled holes right above baseboards in outer perimeter walls and put dust in there its now april7th and I think I have won this battle!no bugs
So it’s been a while since I have seen a carpet beetle larvae. My husband left his wet towel on the bed about 11 am this morning and we went to baseball games all day. I just went to the bedroom and saw the wet towel and right there on top of it was a live carpet beetle larvae. YUCK! It has been about 11 hours. Where do you think it came from?-other than the obvious that they are in my house lol. I mean do you think it hatched from the towel?? I wash the towels often and in hot water and high heat dry…ugh I’m a lil disturbed right now. I don’t get near as disturbed when I see the adult carpet beetles. Don’t know why cuz they are just as bad even though they don’t do the eating they still do the laying! GRRRRRRRRR!!!!
Has anyone tried Diatomaceous Earth?
Hello everyone,
Renate, I’m in Alberta … those Ziploc bags are about 30% cheaper in Zellers and Canadian Tire stores … both of them have the medium size Rubbermaid totes (no holes in handle) as well. How are things going with you landlord? From what I know about provincial law the Landlord & Tenant board will be the only ones to be able to help if you need it. Carpet Beetles (CBs) are not KNOWN as a health risk to humans so your not going to be able to get help at the Health board … but I would report it all anyway. Wash, clean, freeze and then store as much as you can before your placed gets sprayed if you go that route. Plan to stay away overnight.
brava 4, I had lots of centipedes last year, so I had looked it up … they are harmless and come in when there is a huge food source for them such as lots of CBs.
Krystal, what do you use to for the rashes? Maybe your neighbours aren’t so neat and clean?
Katie, on the bed? … I guess you’ve washed your bedding by now! Those suckers move pretty fast when there is something they want … water. I doubt it ‘hatched’ from the towel if you had washed not long before, but a larvae may have crawled to it anytime before or after your husbands shower. I’ve not tried Diatomaceous Earth, but from what I recall others here have said it does not really work.
Trying to get into spring clean mode again … don’t think I ever left the clean part alone for long. We just had another arctic blast, and spring … temp wise is around the corner.
thanks Barbara. Yes on the bed! ewwwww. I have been doing pretty good with cleaning but our bed is extremely heavy and I’m sure I’ve missed some places. I have to use a swiffer to get under there. It probably crawled up the bed from underneath it or from the baseboard behind the bed. I’m sure there is more……ugh. You’re probably right about it not hatching from the towel. I was just a lil freaked out.
Had a bit of a freak out myself Katie, since I realized I had not used the shop vac all over the bed, both mattress and box spring tops and undersides in about 3 months … so i did all that and all still is good on my end
well I spoke too soon. After 6 weeks of no activity I thought I won this battle but yesterday I discovered holes in yet another shirt.I think I had a panick attack.I fighting with my husband at the moment because I think they’re living in my living room furniture and I want to throw it out.He disagrees.I’m half tempted to throw the furniture out while he’s at work
Michelle..poor thang…vacuum the you know what out of your furniture. Keep vacuuming. I don’t know if it will help but lift the cushions and sprinkle borax all under there. It would make me feel better anyway. Raise the furniture up off the floor (that’s what they say to do, but I’m sure they can still manage to find it). Or if you find some larvae somewhere else, collect it and put it on the furniture, call your husband in the room and totally freak out, and maybe you can get some new furniture.
These things aren’t worth getting in argument so I know it causes anxiety-we’ve all been there. Just take a deep breath, relax, do some yoga, go for a walk, and remind yourself that it isn’t the end of the world.
In case I didn’t make sense, I was joking about the placement of larvae on the furniture…:)
OMG so funny if I could find a larva I would so do that! all I ever find are the cast skins. Maybe if I gather enouhg cast skins I could say I found tham all over the furniture!
Michelle, For what it’s worth, I know it’s an awful feeling. But, my mom had them in her couch (she lives in a suite in our house) right underneath the cushions. I carefully vacuumed the cushions, then put them on the bare floor in the hallway. Then I vacuumed every square inch of the couch, even turning it upside down. I sprayed the inside and the bottom of the couch (lightly) with Raid! It didn’t seem to hurt anything, and then to make it smell better, I sprayed it again with Febreze. Whatever works… I’m getting pretty creative.
I found a few more larvae about a month later and did the same thing all over again. Knock wood, it seems to have worked.
Unfortunately, you could buy all new furniture and then you may have just made another adult beetle happy that she has a new home in which to lay eggs!
Well, spring is here on my end too 🙁
I’ve found several dead adults this past week, and one very sluggish moving bug.
I’m going to be investing in sprays and dusts, … not new furniture.
Clothes are holding their own, in their Ziploc bags, but I also bought a couple of those garment bags to hang clothes in, so far so good.
you’re right they could make a nesting ground in new furniture but I still want to toss whats in my house to the curb I do vacume my couch often and move it and vacume under it a couple times a week.I’d like to find an organic spray or powder for the couch such as boric acid maybe? where do I find that and is it harmless? thanks for responding earlier!
Michelle, 20 Mule Team borax is supposed to be 99% pure boric acid, otherwise the drug store should carry it. You might need to ask the druggist as it may not be easy to find on their shelves.
I don’t think it will kill off, but I used some on carpets last year and it made them go away from there. I sprinkled it on heavily and left it to sit for a few days. I’ve read not to breath the dust, as it could cause problems and if you get it on your skin or in your eyes could be a problem too, but it worked OK for me.
Interesting… I had ants and put down TERRO and much to my surprise I found 2 adult beetles in one of the traps and another on its way to one. Maybe it’s the sweet syrup stuff they mix with the borax that attracts them.
I wouldn’t say that this is at all a remedy for carpet beetles. But it was a surprise to see them.
hmmmmm you may be on to something brava4….
Hi everyone,
I have continued to see larva despite all the sraying I have done. The owner of the company came to my home recently and concluded that the larva and carpet beetles are in my floor boards. He said this because they appear all over the home. We have a monitoring system set up throughout the house (glue traps placed everywhere) and only one has been caught, despite that I see them. Although their numbers have been knocked down since last year because of all of the spraying we did with two exterminating companies, I still continue to see larva. The owner wants to brush Diatomaceous Earth throughout my home on the floors. He said it is not harmful to humans and the crushed up shells placed in the floors will cut up the larva. The company will do this soon so I will see how it goes. I was wondering if anyone has used DE before and if it worked. Thanks for your input!
I have not been an active commenter on this thread in years, but I just wanted to share with you all that I am excited to be about to make a big step forward in my battle with these things. This week I am having our old carpet ripped out, then having the exterminator come (we haven’t determined what mode of attack they are using yet) and then the day after, having new carpet put down.
Most of our house is hardwood floors, so I feel like though they show up in various places, this one room in the house that is carpeted is a major source of the problem. I got rid of all clothes and stuffed animals that were being stored in there except a few heirloom items – a wool rug that I plan to clean thoroughly – and some formalwear that’s made of non-natural fibers and is kept in plastic. Well, and three window curtains I’m laundering in borax and bleach. I can’t afford to replace them.
This room has been in total disuse for years because of this. I have been afraid to keep things in there. But now I am going back to school and I want this room to be my office.
While I was cleaning to prepare for this I found lots of larvae shells – I don’t know how old they are – we’ve treated for them before so who knows.
One thing I know is that I never, ever see the carpet beetles themselves. Only the remains of the larvae.
Wish me luck. Thanks for all your tips over the past year that I have been watching this post!
Kim,
Lots of luck to you in school! That’s great that you are reclaiming a room in your house! I hope things work out for you with the new carpet. Good luck! Keep us posted.
I’ve just begun the battle. I read several places online to use boric acid, so I went out and got the 20 Mule Team Borax. I had to look around for it, finally found it at Food 4 Less. Since I’ve noticed them more in the **shudder** kitchen than anywhere else, I started there. Emptied out all the cupboards, drawers… cleaned everything with borax, vacuumed up thier little carcasses, larvae, and live adults. I found more closer to the floor, under drawers, and under my cabinet. I suspect them of having an appetite for wood, as they were the only bugs I found, yet there was a fine power that looked like wood. I’ve been running the dishwasher and washing machine constantly, bagging up all me precious yarn ( I am an avid knitter with a semi prolific stash of high quality silk, merino, and all sorts of yummy CB food) put the yarn in the chest freezer, forget 14 days! It’s staying there until I use it! Husband says that’s not what freezer is for, I said get another one for food! Have noticed itchy skin, congested sinuses, and itchy watery eyes since awhile before I found them. We’ll see how good the borax does. Does anyone else have experience with using borax with cleaning and storage without using chemicals? I am delicate and get severe headaches that last for months if I’m around fumigants, and bug poisons. Better get ready to go to the dentist, much as I fear dental work this will be the first break from non stop cleaning for the past week. I’ve also noticed, the more I clean the more I itch. ***scratches*** Can’t take Benedryl and drive so, I have to wait for after the dentist.