How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles and Everything Else You Need to Know
Not all native Australian insect species are protectors of our awesome environment. Some are simply hungry, greedy fabric eaters, using their small size to navigate the loops and swoops of pile carpet and rugs, slowly nibbling away at your flooring until large naked patches appear. The Australian Carpet Beetle is frequent pest in many homes and businesses in Canberra – museums can really struggle with their appetite, as the dried animal skins on display are too big a temptation to pass up for these little critters. Although they normally live in forests and woodlands, preferring an organic diet of flowers, many people have found them chowing down on indoor carpets.
What is an Australian Carpet Beetle?
Measuring up to 3mm long (or 5mm long during the larvae stage), the Australian carpet beetle is distantly related to several types of carpet beetles and moths. Outdoors, beetle larvae seek out warm places packed with animal proteins like birds’ nests, feasting on hair, feathers and skins until they become adults. A single carpet beetle larvae can irreversibly damage natural carpets or wool rugs if given enough time, although they’ll reject synthetic materials.
Beetle 101: Do Australian carpet beetles live inside? Beetles live outside, coming indoors to lay their eggs in dark spots under furniture or rarely used corners of the room.
Carpet Beetle Prevention Tips
Don’t wait until carpet beetle infestation signs pop up to do something about these creeping carpet destroyers. While prevention can only take you so far, since Australian carpet beetles live outside the home, regularly giving carpeted rooms a thorough vacuum will minimise the chances of eggs turning into beetles. Additionally, as the seasons wane, wash and store any summer or winter specific clothes in vacuum sealed bags, as they love to lurk wherever natural fibres are present – including your collection of thick cotton socks! Have you been gifted a bunch of flowers lately? After admiring their beauty, check the stems, leaves and petals for any signs of beetles.
Get Ride of Carpet Beetles for Good
Many resources out there suggest investing in potentially dangerous methods, including over-the-counter strategies like boric acid. Your safety is important to us and while DIY has its place in the pest control world, missing one carpet beetle or carpet beetle egg can restart the cycle all over again, so it’s best to leave eradication to the experts. Our trained Canberra Pest Control technicians know exactly what to look for, assessing your home or businesses before discussing the next steps with you. One size doesn’t always fit all, and we want you to have the best outcome possible – no more carpet beetles! Australian carpet beetles can be particularly tricky to get rid of for most people without a pest control licence – they don’t live inside the home, so those egg-laying adults will keep on doing their thing unless they’re stopped.
Beetle 101: How many carpet beetles in an infestation? One. One Australian carpet beetle can do a lot of damage, and where there’s one adult, there’s the 50-100 eggs that lone beetle planted in your favourite rug. Imagine what five could do… all they need is a forgotten pile of pet hair underneath a side table for an easy, rarely-detected nest.
Do Carpet Beetles Bite Humans?
No, but they can cause minor harm. While there’s no such thing as carpet beetle bites, they can trigger an irritated, itchy rash that resembles a row of bed bug bites thanks to hair fibres on beetle larvae. These fibres can also go airborne, getting into eyes and lungs and causing mild issues.
Exterminate 10 pests with one treatment, including Australian carpet beetles. Contact Canberra Pest Control today and find out why we’re the pest control specialists local families trust to guard their home from creepy crawlies.