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The carpet beetle is a common pest. It can be identified by its dense, oval body shape and mottled yellow, white and black casing. Larger carpet beetles are black. Legs and head are difficult to discern the anatomy of the beetle conceals them under the body..

The carpet beetle is often found inside homes, especially if the homes are old. They tend to lay eggs beside sources of food and their larvae will feed on the surface or inside the material. This is in contrast to adult carpet beetles, which feed on pollen and nectar, similar to bees.

Typically, you will see the beetles emerging from the larvae stage in spring and summer. This is when we get the most call outs for 'infestation.' They can often be seen near windows or dead on sills, as once they emerge from the larvae stage they will try to fly outside to feed.

A carpet beetle lives for nine to twelve months.

Management of the Carpet Beetle as Pest

The real source of pestilence in the carpet beetle is, as the above suggests, the larvae, rather than the adult. This is because the larvae feeds on a range of sources, including fur, wool, silk, felt, carcasses, dry meat, and other animal products. Unclean homes and older homes will typically have worse infestations.

They can also cause damage to carpets, underfelts, rugs, wall hangings, wool insulation, clothing. If you find an article of yours is infested, don't throw it away just yet. If you can remove it, you can leave it in the sun wrapped in black plastic (such as with a garbage bag) or you can warp in a sealed bag and leave in the freezer for two weeks. This will kill the infestation.

It's important to regularly steam clean and wash your carpets. It's also important to regularly clean your pet bedding, as carpet beetles can also be attracted to this.

Safe, effective and Reliable Pest Control

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