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The first step in getting rid of carpet beetles is knowing you have a carpet beetle problem. It's hard to tell you have carpet beetles if you don't know what they look like. We're not just talking about color or shape. You can easily do an image search and find that these insects are black, fiery orange and white, brownish yellow, black and white, or just black. You'll also see that they are oval or pill-shaped. But after looking at all those images, you can still fail to detect carpet beetles in your Phoenix home. Why? Because carpet beetles are really small. A varied carpet beetle, Anthrenus verbasci, is 1/16 of an inch long. Even if you know that it has the mottled brown, yellow, black and white coloration, it's hard to see that coloration, at this size. You may also fail to detect that you have a carpet beetle infestation if you find their larvae. Carpet beetle larvae aren't beetles. They're hairy grubs which look a little bit like caterpillars. But if you manage to work all of this out and determine that you do, indeed, have a carpet beetle infestation in your Phoenix home, you can use these tips to get them out.
Step One: Check All Your Screens
If you have success getting control of carpet beetles, the last thing you want is new beetles to come in and replace the ones you've eliminated. Do a detailed inspection of all your exterior door and window screens. Many rips and holes can be patched up. There are helpful videos on the internet for doing this. Be sure to check the seal around your screens. Carpet beetles can get past your screens by going through the gaps where your screen frames connect with your door and window frames. Also inspect your vent exhausts and cover the openings with screen material if necessary.
Step Two: Clean Infested Clothing And Fabric
If you find evidence that carpet beetles are in your clothes, you need to wash and dry what you can and send dry clean-only items out to be cleaned. This will eliminate any carpet beetles hiding in your garments. You can do the same thing with your curtains, sheets, blankets and other fabrics. Once you've done this, store these items in sealed plastic totes until your carpet beetle infestation has been completely addressed. This will protect them and prevent the carpet beetles in your home from getting a meal.
Step Three: Remove Significant Food Sources
Your clothing and rugs aren't the only places where carpet beetles can lay their eggs, or where larvae may be found feeding. Consider these and address any that are relevant to your situation.
Carpet beetle larvae love lint. This can cause them to be in your laundry room.
Carpet beetle larvae eat dead insects. If you have any lying on a porch or in an attic space, clean them up.
Carpet beetle larvae can get into wasp, bee, bird, and rodent nests. Remove any nests in or around your home.
Carpet beetles eat spider webs. Remove these from every space you can get into.
Step Four: Address Taxidermy
Do you have taxidermy items? Carpet beetles feed on these and they can be a source of a serious infestation. Put these items in a freezer for 14 days to make sure no carpet beetle larvae or eggs remain on them.
Step Five: Vacuum And Steam Clean
If you have a carpet that is being attacked by carpet beetle larvae, you may be able to kill them with steam. For general carpet beetle control, vacuum your rug regularly to suck up eggs. This may dislodge and suck up the larvae as well.
Step Six: Pest Control
It can be difficult to deal with carpet beetles when they get into certain places, such as pillows, cushions, furniture, or wall voids. If your infestation is too difficult to address with the control tips provided above, contact a professional.
If you live in Phoenix, reach out to Green Home Pest Control for control of carpet beetles. We use EPA approved products and current best practices for eliminating carpet beetles in all stages of development. We can help you get rid of these destructive insects.
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