Carpet Beetle Control Extension

Other adults are mottled with white brown yellow or black.

Carpet beetle control extension. Carpet beetles are common pests of fabrics. Carpet beetles can also thrive on lint hair and debris accumulating under baseboards and inside floor vents and ducts. Carpet beetle larvae often are carrot shaped with tail bristles and body hairs. Some adult carpet beetles are dull black with brown legs.

Adult carpet beetles do not damage fabrics. Carpet beetles feed on animal and plant substances such as wool fur feathers hair hides horns silk velvet felts and bone as well as seeds grain cereals cake mixes red pepper rye meal and flour. Some types of dermestid beetles have larvae that develop by feeding on grain or seed based materials. They may grow to be 1 4 to 1 2 inch long.

Carpet beetle adults are about 1 8 inch long. It is the larva or immature stage of these insects that cause damage to fabrics fur feathers or virtually anything made of animal fibers. Rooms should be cleaned often enough to prevent the accumulation of hair dander and other carpet beetle food materials. Their body tapers toward the rear and ends in a tuft of long hairs.

They feed outdoors on pollen or not at all. In california and other arid areas the black carpet beetle is a more serious pest for stored products e g grains flours cereals than a fabric pest. Black carpet beetle adult and larvae. The best way to combat carpet beetles in homes is to reduce their food sources.

Other substances include powdered milk dog and cat food leather book bindings dead insects bird and rodent nests and even cotton linen rayon and jute especially when stained. Most dermestid beetles are scavengers that develop on materials of animal origin including dead insects pet hair lint woolen items furs and feathers. The black carpet beetle usually lays 90 eggs more than either of the other two carpet beetles. The pests can also proliferate on bird nests animal carcasses and dead insects cluster flies lady beetles stink bugs wasps etc which tend to be associated with attics chimneys basements and light fixtures.