How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles

Carpet Beetles are small, dark, oval insects that love to eat organic fibers and products. The most common of their species is the Black Carpet Beetle, that is a shiny black insect with brownish legs. They are about ¼ inch long and belong to the family of beetles known as dermestid. Their four common species are black carpet beetle, the varied carpet beetle, the common carpet beetle and the furniture beetle.

Carpet beetles generally eat organic fabric and few certain foods. They even feed on linen, cotton and rayon, if the clothes are soiled with juices and animal excreta. These insects do not spare food items too, attacking cereals, stored grains, nuts, meal, etc. Their infestations can cause various kind of allergies, that are generally induced by inhaling small hair that they shed. They have also been linked to spread some infectious diseases like Anthrax. Therefore, it gets necessary to get rid of these tiny evils.

Ways to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles

Look for the Source
If you want to get rid of unwanted insects, not just carpet beetles, one of the foremost and essential step is to recognize the source from where they originated in that area. Search for fecal pellets and the shed skins of the larva. These insects prefer to stay in dark, secluded, areas like closets, basements, drawers, attics, storage boxes, etc. Also inspect the area under floor carpets, rugs and large pieces of furniture's.

Use Vacuum Cleaner
Once you have identified the source spots, suck them out with the help of a vacuum cleaner. Make sure to suck their babies too, because the stage of larva is most harmful to fabrics. It's because larvae feed on fabric.

Wash Fabric in Hot Water
The eggs are extremely resilient. You will need to wash all your infested fabrics in hot soapy water, if you want to make sure to get rid of the insects, their larva and their eggs.

Boric Acid
Because of its ability to ward off or decimate almost every unwanted household insect, boric acid can be called a pesticide. It should be used cautiously cause it is a bleaching agent that can make clothes whiter. Boric acid is harmless to humans and works excellently to get rid of ants in the household as well.

Remedies Available in Market
In case after trying all the above and one still faces resilience from carpet beetles, try treatments available in the market. Some of these treatments contain chlorpyrifos, bendiocarbs and allethrin, that are very effective in controlling these insects. Find sprays and chemical powders which are used to control them.

Other Ways

• Place all susceptible items in a freezer for few days
• Naphthalene balls or paradichlorobenzene (PDB) crystals, should be put in cloth storage areas as they are a good impediment against carpet beetles
• Remove all the birds' and bees' nests from the house, because they lay their eggs there too.

Never underestimate these tiny insects. Always inspect the secluded areas, carpets and clothes regularly, to prevent them from multiplying. Remember that it's their larvae that are most harmful not the adult beetles, so act quickly to destroy larvae when you find them. If they continue to return, seek professional help i.e. pest control professionals.