How to Keep Carpet Beetles Out Of Your Carpets (and everywhere else)

Carpet beetles are so prolific and pesky that even Martha Stewart has commented on how to get rid of them.

Carpet beetles are everywhere. They are also pretty difficult to get rid of because of their ability to find food in unlikely places and spread widely throughout structures. In addition to being unpleasant to happen upon, carpet beetles can actually damage your home and possessions. Find out how to protect your home from carpet beetles.

What Do Carpet Beetles Look Like?

What Attracts Carpet Beetles?

How Do I Get Rid of Carpet Beetles?

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What Do Carpet Beetles Look Like?

First, as always, is how to identify a carpet beetle. There are tons of different species of carpet beetles, including the most common in the greater Richmond area: the varied carpet beetle, the black carpet beetle, the common carpet beetle, and the furniture carpet beetle. All of these species are small, less than 1/4 inch long, and oval. Sometimes, they are mistaken for seeds at first glance because they appear similar in size, shape, and (as they age) color. Most species of carpet beetles have patches of colored hair (as seen in the picture above), which can wear off over time, giving them a darker, more shiny appearance.

Females will lay 30-100 eggs in their lifetime, generally choosing places such like cracks in walls, foundations or floorboard; gaps in baseboards; piles of lint; etc. While it can take months (even years) to get to the adult phase, the carpet beetles only live in the adult form for a month or two.

What Attracts Carpet Beetles?

Carpet beetles are driven by food. Outdoors, they will feed on pollen and nectar, so they are often found in gardens or other areas with flowering vegetation. Indoors, they like windows because they are attracted to the light, but will feed on things like fabrics (especially wool and silk), feathers, leather, and dried food goods, including pet food and birdseed. Carpet beetles will also infest mice nests or feed on animal or insect carcasses.

Because carpet beetles eat fabrics and dry food, they can quickly cause damage to carpets, curtains, clothing, furniture, books, and other home goods; and they can contaminate and harm the contents of your food cupboards, pet food, and other edible items.

How Do I Get Rid of Carpet Beetles?

Carpet beetles are notoriously hard to eradicate. Because they wander, they can spread infestations to multiple areas throughout a structure with rapidity. It is always better to prevent than to treat an infestation.

Keep all your food in sealed containers (or in the freezer) and check it often for any signs of an infestation. Vacuum your carpets and baseboards regularly, and make sure to get underneath the furniture! It's also a good idea to check attics and basements at regular intervals and make sure there are no bird nests, wasp nests, dead rodents, or signs of pest infestations.

If you see any signs of carpet beetles (or really any other unwanted insect), tackle the problem immediately. The longer you wait, the more difficult the infestation will be to treat. Professional pest control is the best option for treating infestations. And even better, maintaining a professionally applied pest control barrier year-round will help to keep the pests from entering and breeding in the first place.

Call us today for all your pest control questions or needs. We're always excited to help!

For even more local Virginia pests, check out our pest library