The abundance of bugs and their small size make it easy for them to invade a house. There can be some places in the house that can provide them a proper inhabitant. The problem that is commonly heard is the invasion of carpet beetles. They are attracted to the animal-based products such as silk, leather, wool, and fur. If you come across the clothes, pillows, coats and carpets having holes in it, the only culprits are carpet beetles. They do not only make your fabrics a waste; your furniture is in danger too. The dangerous species of carpet beetles include common carpet beetles, black carpet beetles, furniture carpet beetles, and varied carpet beetles. They may look different in appearance but are equally dangerous. Adult carpet beetles and carpet beetle larvae have different targets. Adults only look for pollen and nectar while the larvae cause all the damage in the houses.
If you are looking for them in your home, suspected infested sites dark places such as cupboards, drawers, basement, wall cracks, and attics. They even feed on their preferred items in the dark. They do not leave anything spare so have a look under carpets, cousins, and furniture as well. If the bugs you see in your house are oval in shape and have a mixture of gray and black patches on their skin, you have got your target. These insects use doors, windows, and small holes in the house to make their way inside the house.
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How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles
Carpet beetles do not take very long to spread all over your house. Apart from the household item, they also look for dead insects. They may find their targets in your garden. Have a look on the following measures to make your house beetle free.
1. Search for the Source and Cacuum the Carpet
Indicate the places where carpet beetles can be found. Take a thorough tour of your furniture pieces, closets, covered areas, and fabricated products. Don’t think that your food cabinets are safe; carpet beetles may be looking for the dog food you have placed in the kitchen. Fresh flowers are also one of the sources that they are in your place. Check all these mentioned places to locate them.
After you have located the places of invasion, vacuum all those areas. Vacuuming the places only once may not be enough to eliminate all the beetles. Repeating the process multiple times a day is required if the infestation is severe.
2. Throw Away Infested Garments and Wash the Fabrics
You may face the situation where you get your garments having holes in them. It is a sign that the beetles have attacked your closet. Keep them away to avoid further damage to your clothes. The fabric that is still safe should be washed in hot water with a good detergent.
3. Apply Insecticides
Spraying insecticides on the infested areas are also effective. A range of insecticides is available on the market. Choose the one that can provide a proper treatment and spray to the targeted areas keeping the given instructions in mind. Adding the insect growth regulator in the spray may double the efficiency as this method will stop the birth of more beetles. Do not to take precautionary measure before using the insecticide such as wearing the gloves.
4. Set Traps
Glue traps are used to control the infestation of beetles. Place these traps in all the locations you think are infested.
How to Get Rid of Beetles Outdoor
Solutions to beat the beetles outdoor is also necessary. Taking the measures indoor cannot be helpful until they are controlled outdoor because it is possible that the beetles are originating from a place outside the house.
- Apply a barrier treatment around the perimeter
Liquid insecticides are used to create a barrier for carpet beetles. Spray the insecticide all over the soil areas outside your house. Do not leave windows, door frames and vents unsprayed. Beetles use these places for entrance so they should not be forgotten to apply the treatment.
- Remove nests
Locate the birds’ nests in your house. Carpet beetles do not hesitate to lay eggs in any available nests. Letting the eggs grow means increasing the chance of further infestation. Obviously, you do not want this. Make your house clear with the nests of any bird. Take a proper care while removing the nests to avoid any harm. You can face allergic reactions if you do not take proper care while removing the nests, If you, somehow, have contact with unnecessary things, take the daily allergy meds to avoid further infection.
8 Carpet Beetle Prevention
Follow the following ways to prevent carpet beetles.
1. Protect Susceptible Items
Keep the items protected that are the main source of beetle invasion. Keep the clothes that are not frequently used in the plastic bags. Cedar chips and mothball should be kept in the areas where you store your items. Items of daily use in your closet and drawers should be brought to sunlight because it will make the beetles scatter away instead of hiding in the piece of cloth. Carpet cleaning on a daily basis also reduces the chances of beetle invasion. Good housekeeping always helps to avoid unnecessary damages by bugs.
2. Keep Doors and Windows Closed
Windows and doors have made it easy for beetles to enter the place. The more you keep the doors closed, the lesser is a chance of infestation. Apart from doors and windows, any small hole or damaged walls can invite beetles to make their way in to the room. Get all such places repaired as soon as you notice the damage.
3. Inspect Flowers before Bringing them Inside
This tiny creature can also be found in the flowers. If you pick the flowers from your garden to decorate them in a vase, have a thorough look at the flowers. Unwanted hitchhikers in flower can lead to an extensive loss. Remove these bugs if you find them in your flowers.
4. Do DIY Extermination
Initially, damages caused by the carpet beetles may not be severe, but they can make the situation out of control if not controlled. It is better to help yourself before it is too late. You can always use natural products to remove them such as eucalyptus oil. You can follow the ways mentioned under to get started.
5. Insecticides
This is one of the very common solutions. A lot of insecticides variety is available in the hardware stores. Try to grab a product having chlorpyrifos, bendiocarb, and allethrin in it. Such chemical based solutions are very effective. Follow all the instructions properly and spray the insecticide in all the infested corners in the house. To make it work better inside the home, apply this process outside the house as well. All the small entrances should also be sprayed.
6. Boric Acid
Boric acid is considered as one of the best solutions because it can kill almost all types of insects. It is used very carefully as it is harmful not only for insects but for humans too. If you hesitate to use the other dangerous chemicals, boric acid can be the option you are looking for. Spread this product to the attacked places. You will soon get all these nasty beetles killed. This is a sort of bleaching agent so avoid its contact with the colored items.
7. Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth can be in the list if your concern is not to use highly toxic chemicals. This is a solution in powder form that, when applied on the beetles, causing them to shed the outer layer. This layer is a protection for the beetles. If this gets removed, carpet beetles become unable to control water loss, and their body dries up, and they die. This method is totally non-toxic, natural and safe.
8. Fog
This method is only effective if the targeted beetles are only adults. This process cannot be carried out on the carpet beetle larvae. It is important to kill adults because female adults lay eggs and keep on increasing their number. More eggs mean more larvae and most of the destruction is caused by the beetles in the larval stage. Use the best quality insect fogger to remove the beetle adults.
Conclusion
Carpet beetles are the most common household pest. It may not be harmful to human, but they can destroy their belongings. These household scavengers will make you face some serious situations. Their habit of residing in the carpets, furniture, closets, and other dark and storage places make them found in almost all the corners of the house. They make holes in infested woolen garments and make them wastes. They can make the situation out of control if not controlled. They can be controlled by applying natural treatments as well as chemical treatments. If you think that the situation is out of control, ask pest control professionals for help. They will surely help to make your house beetle free.