In our natural world we’re surrounded by a multitude of different beetles, many of which have one thing in common. They just love to eat stuff! Wood-boring beetles for example like nothing better than a good tree to munch away on; leaf eating beetles prefer to dine on our plants; and as for dung beetles….well, we probably don’t even need to go there! What about carpet beetles though? What do they eat? The answer is everything! For this reason they can be really destructive, especially when they get into your home.
The carpet beetle loves to munch on organic fibres and if left untreated can cause a lot of damage not only to your carpet, but also to everything in the vicinity. This includes clothing, upholstery, furnishings and your outside flora and fauna. So what should you do?
Identify the signs
The first step is to know the signs that you have a carpet beetle infestation. If you see any fabric or clothing that appears to have holes or your carpet is showing signs of wear that wasn’t there before you might have an infestation. Carpet beetles don’t just live in your carpet but instead prefer to lurk in drawers and closets, attics and storage boxes, or even between cavity wall insulation. Aside from definite signs of damage you might spot the odd fecal pellet or dead skin lying around or alternatively spot one of the adult critters such as the varied, furniture, or black carpet beetle roaming around. If you do see one, then you’ll need to thoroughly search your home until you find the source of the infestation.
Suck them up
Once you identify that you have an infestation and are able to find the source then the quickest way to eradicate them is to vacuum them up. Instead of a plethora of fully grown beetles scuttling around your sock drawer, or inside your closet you might instead see tiny caterpillar-type creatures. These are the carpet beetle larvae and it’s these that eventually turn into fully-fledged carpet beetles. So make sure you remove them as well.
The eggs
Finally, after vacuuming you might think you’ve eradicated the problem. However chances are that there is still something present and that’s the eggs themselves. Carpet beetle eggs are incredibly resilient and what’s more they’re almost impossible to spot with the naked eye. The best way to eradicate them is to give everything a good wash. Whether this is your clothes, fabrics or your carpet, they’ll need to be thoroughly cleaned to ensure no more eggs remain.
Professional Carpet Beetle removal services
If you’ve done everything suggested and are still finding traces of carpet beetle activity, or alternatively feel that you would rather call in the professionals from the start, then come and speak to Carpet Cleaning Kings. We use the latest and safest pest control management techniques to ensure that your carpets and upholstery are kept insect free. Contact us today on 1300 7000 75 and let us show you exactly what we can do.
