Carpet beetles in your Marietta home can be a serious issue, but even if you currently have a carpet beetle problem, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
Carpet beetles aren’t the most complex creatures in the world, which means it’s also fairly easy to prevent them from hanging out in your home if you know what they like and what attracts them in the first place.
Get ready for a quick and useful breakdown of carpet beetle looks and behavior, the damage they can cause, how to recognize an infestation in your home, and carpet beetle prevention. Let’s get started.
Carpet Beetles 101
Let’s start with the basics. What do carpet beetles look like? These are small insects, at just a fraction of 1 inch long, and they have a distinctive, splotchy coloring that’s a mix of brown, black, and white. In their shape, adult carpet beetles appear similar to ladybugs. They’re round with small heads. Carpet beetle larvae, however, are typically brown and look similar to fuzzy caterpillars.
As we move on to carpet beetle behavior, the larvae usually prefer to stay in dark spaces, and this aligns well with their sources of food. We’ll talk about this more in the next section, but carpet beetle larvae like to feed on a number of different natural fibers found in clothing, rugs, linens, etc. They will also sometimes feed on dry goods like grains. Adult carpet beetles are another story. We’ll talk more about them later.
In most cases, you’ll need to search for carpet beetles. They won’t make their presence known on purpose. It’s rare to see carpet beetles in Marietta out in the open unless they’re on the move or desperate for a new food source.
How Carpet Beetles Can Damage Your Home's Fabrics And Carpeting
So, are carpet beetles bad? Are they a serious concern for your home? We can confidently say you shouldn’t take carpet beetles lightly, especially if you’re concerned about the welfare of your textiles.
True to their name, carpet beetles do indeed feed on carpets and rugs. More generally, they feed on natural fibers and animal products such as furs. If they find their way into your closet, they can also damage a wide range of clothing items.
A large number of carpet beetles can cause a serious amount of damage to these kinds of products, and there’s nothing worse than discovering unexpected damage to your keepsake clothing or high-value rugs. Again, carpet beetles like to stay hidden, and their small size makes this easy to do.
Because of the damage the carpet beetle can inflict, control and prevention are both so important. Let’s talk about how you can identify a carpet beetle problem.
Identifying A Carpet Beetle Infestation
When trying to identify a carpet beetle infestation in your home, you should focus primarily on products in your home that contain some kind of animal fibers. Furs and wool products, in particular, will likely show signs of an infestation.
If carpet beetles are present, fur products will be actively losing hair, and wool products such as rugs, blankets, and clothing will show bare spots where they look like they’ve been trimmed short.
Of course, spotting carpet beetles themselves is another sure sign of an infestation. Specifically, adult carpet beetles, which are not the ones who feed on the products we mentioned; the larvae do all the damage, are more likely to be found in the open. For example, you might see adult carpet beetles near windows and other light sources.
If you notice any of these signs, we highly recommend contacting a pest control service as soon as possible, even if only to consult them and decide on the next steps.
How You Can Prevent Carpet Beetles Inside Your Marietta Home
To close out, let’s examine how to prevent carpet beetles. Here are some quick and effective
tips you can put to work right away:
- Vacuum rugs and carpets regularly. Perform deep cleaning on a semi-regular basis.
- Keep counters and floors clean.
- Keep cupboards tidy and remove expired foods, especially grains.
- Store wool and fur products in plastic casings.
If you’re ready to move forward with home pest control in Marietta, feel free to contact us at ProCare Pest Services at your earliest convenience.