If you have carpeting in your home, there is a chance that you have seen some small bugs crawling around. These bugs look a lot like ladybugs. However, they, more often than not, are carpet beetles and not ladybugs at all. If you have carpet beetles, you may wonder how to get rid of them. To kill carpet beetles, you should learn a little more about them.
Carpet Beetles: What You Need to Know
These small pests are a part of a family of beetles called demisted beetles. They are found in museums, homes, and warehouses. The bugs are more than just a nuisance as these beetles can be very destructive. Carpet beetles can cause damage to furs, stored foods, fabrics, and of course, carpets. There are three types of carpet beetles that you should be familiar with and also learn how to get rid of them if they should ever invade your home.
Carpet Beetle Types
There are three common types of carpet beetles. They are the furniture carpet beetle, the black carpet beetle, and the varied carpet beetle. Each of these types of beetles has the same life cycle that includes four stages. These stages are the egg, larval, pupal, and then the adult stage. Most of the time, the larval stage, where the beetles are more worm-like, will be the most damaging. This is why it is essential to learn how to get rid of the larvae from carpet beetles is crucial. Here is some more information about each of the types of carpet beetles.
Furniture Carpet Beetles
Furniture carpet beetles tend to be larger than a varied carpet beetle. The wings will have scales that are dark yellow or orange. If the scales are worn off, the wings will look black in color, and the underside is white. The furniture carpet beetle will feed on wool fabrics and carpets, feathers, dried flowers, animal hides, and cattails.
Black Carpet Beetles
Black carpet beetles will be about an eighth of an inch long. The body of the black carpet beetle is dark brown or shiny black. The legs of this type of beetle are brown. Typically, black carpet beetles will eat stored food products such as pet food. However, these carpet beetles will also infest animal hides, wool, and dried flowers.
Varied Carpet Beetles
The varied carpet beetle is about a tenth of an inch long and will have a black coloring. There is a pattern of white or brown on the top of the body, and the wings will have yellow scales. The yellow wears off as the beetle gets older. These beetles feed on animal hides, feathers, wool fabrics, hair, cattails, and dried flowers.
Carpet Beetles Treatment
In order to kill carpet beetles, it is crucial to have some patience because these small beetles will find spaces to feed that are hard to get into and inspect. In order to fully get rid of carpet beetles, you are going to have to remove their sources of food.
The first step when it comes to carpet beetles is prevention. You will want to make sure that you are inspecting any flowers and plants that you bring into your house. Make sure that you are keeping your home clean, eliminating all debris, lint, and hair. Vacuuming will help to remove any dead insects from carpets, curtains, and around the windows. If there are cracks that the beetles might enter through, make sure to seal them off. Vents and broken screens should be repaired. Finally, make sure that all fabrics and wool are stored in containers that have airtight lids.
Getting Rid of Carpet Beetles
If your home has been infested with carpet beetles and you cannot seem to find where they are entering, it is a good idea to call a pest control service in Omaha or Lincoln, NE for help. At times an infestation can simply take over a home and cause a lot of damage to carpets and other areas of the house where the beetles are feasting. If you are having these issues, we can help you get rid of these creatures once and for all.
ABC Termite & Pest Control – Local Pest Control Exterminators in Omaha & Lincoln
Find a reputable local moles & voles pest control Omaha or Lincoln professional that you TRUST and ask about their pest management services. You may think you are saving money however, a single misapplication could have significant and adverse or deadly consequences for you or your loved ones. Contact ABC Termite & Pest Control in Omaha & Lincoln, NE today!
