There are several ways carpet beetles can enter your house. Although you might not have much trouble with adult carpet beetles, their larvae will wreak havoc on various items in your house. Your home will become uncomfortable to dwell in if there is an infestation. By this point, you’re probably wondering, how many carpet beetles is an infestation?
We understand that if you’ve never experienced a carpet beetle infestation before, you might not even be familiar with what an infestation looks like. From this article, you can learn how many carpet beetles it takes to have an infestation.
Additionally, we describe an infestation’s appearance, signs, length of presence, most common places, and regular activity season. Not only that. We also explain how to eliminate them and what can instantly kill them.
How Many Carpet Beetle Larvae is an Infestation?
An infestation of carpet beetles can start with just a few of them, which is the problem. You just need one or a few carpet beetles to have an infestation. One beetle can lay between 50 and 100 eggs at once. During the warm season, a single carpet beetle can lay in three batches over six weeks. You can therefore picture the harm that 100 larvae could cause to household things.
When all of these eggs hatches, an infestation will occur. The larvae will proceed to damage your clothing, home furnishings, and other items. Because they prefer organic materials, larvae of carpet beetles will eat synthetic fibers containing food, sweat, and oil stains.
Signs That You Have a Carpet Beetle Infestation
It is initially difficult to determine whether you have a carpet beetle infestation. That is if you are unaware of the warning signs. You’ll be surprised if you think you must see a carpet beetle flying around to know you have an infestation. Although carpet beetles lay eggs inside your home, where their larvae will have enough food to eat, they mainly dwell outside.
Remember that their larvae will eat nearly anything animal-based, including a pet or human hair buildup. How, then, can you identify an infestation? The warning signs are as follows:
- Your window sills have a lot of adult beetles gathering there.
- The presence of tiny, hairy worms in your kitchen, closets, and flooring.
- Substantial damage to animal products like leather, feathers, and fur.
- You can see larvae skins under rugs, near your furniture, or around pet hair and lint.
- There are tiny black or brown droppings at the foot of your furniture or beneath the wardrobe.
What Does a Carpet Beetle Infestation Look Like?
Knowing what carpet beetles look like is the first thing when trying to determine what carpet beetle infestation looks like. It is common to find any of these three types in homes. If you notice one or more flying into your home, you most likely have an infestation. Carpet beetles will typically lay eggs inside your home but live outdoors.
Here are the three types of carpet beetles:
1. Furniture carpet beetles
A furniture carpet beetle’s length is between 2.5 and 3 mm. Its legs have thick yellow scales, and its back with black scales with a yellow-white molt. You can distinguish it from the other carpet beetles by its round or oval scales. It takes the furniture carpet beetle 30 to 60 days to mature. They mainly feed on the pollen of flowers, rarely harming the flower itself.
2. Black carpet beetles
Black carpet beetles are oval-shaped and are 1/8 to 3/16 inches in length. The carpet beetle can cause severe damage to animal and plant products. You’ll probably notice large irregular holes in those products.
Carpet beetles have dark brown legs and are lustrous black. Their larvae have small, glossy, and smooth bodies covered in stiff hairs.
3. Adult varied carpet beetle
The adult varied carpet beetle has scale patterns on its wing covers that are black, orange, yellow, or white. Their bodies range in size from 1.7 to 3.5 mm. They have rounded, nearly spherical bodies.
How Long Do Carpet Beetles Stay Around?
You must first learn about carpet beetles’ life cycle to understand how long they can stay around.
All carpet beetles must go through the same four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The other carpet beetles all develop into four generations, except for the black carpet beetle, which only has one generation. Carpet beetles have a life cycle that can last anywhere from two months to several years.
The carpet beetle’s life cycle starts when a female lays her eggs, primarily indoors. The eggs of carpet beetles hatch in 7 to 35 days. They become larvae, and their duration before they become pupa depends on the foods available. The young adults(pupa) will mature into adults in nine to two years. Adults only remain alive for a few weeks.
What Time of Year are Carpet Beetles Most Active?
Springtime is when carpet beetles are most active. The adults will emerge in the spring or early summer because they enjoy warm weather. Adult carpet beetles consume floral nectar and pollen, unlike their larvae.
In the spring’s warm weather, flowers bloom. Due to their attraction to sunshine, you will find adult carpet beetles, mainly on window sills, entrances, and draperies.
When the adult carpet beetles want to lay eggs, they will seek indoors. They are active during the day because of the sunlight. But at night, they will be attracted to the lights in your homes.
Where are Carpet Beetles Most Common?
Adult carpet beetles will enter your home by flying through open windows or doors. Additionally, they will enter through an item already infested. The item could be a piece of furniture, clothing, plant, or taxidermy animals.
Here is a list of places where carpet beetles are most common:
- Furniture and soft furnishings
- Beddings and clothes
- Curtains and carpets
- Plants and flowers
- Bird nests in the chimney or roof
- Flour and dried pasta
- Animal beds and pet biscuits
Carpet beetles prefer to lay their eggs in dark, hard-to-reach areas. The ideal places you should look are in your dark closets and underneath your furniture.
What Kills Carpet Beetles Instantly?
You need a method that can instantly kill carpet beetles because it is uncomfortable to live in a home where they are hovering. Some ways might not instantly kill the carpet beetles due to their tough shell. However, several methods would kill them in hours or even seconds. We tell you two ways that can instantly kill carpet beetles.
1. Boric acid
Few bugs can withstand contact with boric acid because it is so lethal. It makes it simple to clean places that would otherwise be impossible to get to—for example, attics or wall voids. You only need to sprinkle such areas with boric acid. Vacuum the area after every three hours.
A spray consisting of 2 cups of boiling water and one tablespoon of boric acid can also work. Put the mixture in spray mist bottles after stirring it until it dissolves. You can use the mixture to treat several carpet beetle infestations. Because the boric acid mixture has a bleaching effect, avoid spraying it on dark materials.
2. Insect Fogger
You can use the insect fogger to kill carpet beetles. The fogger releases a chemical smoke that instantly kills the beetles. Amazon is where you can buy the Carpet Beetle Fogger. You can reach large areas that are inaccessible while using the fogger. Choose a fogger that has little to no smell and won’t leave a stain.
Please switch off all of your smoke alarms before using an insect fogger. Take your children and pets out of the area where the insect fogger is active. Wait for at least three hours to pass before returning inside.
How To Get Rid of Carpet Beetles?
Numerous fabrics in your home are prone to damage by carpet beetles. One of the infestations you need to treat effectively is this one. Let’s examine several methods for eliminating carpet bugs.
Vacuuming and steam cleaning
Vacuuming will get rid of the adult carpet beetles and the surrounding larvae. If you require greater power, you can mix it with steam cleaning. Steam cleaning uses a combination of heat and suction. Carpet beetles larvae adore eating dead insects, human and pet hair, and other trash found on the carpet.
Regular vacuuming will result in the larvae having less food to eat. Vacuum the entire home, not just the areas with the most infestations. Once you’ve finished vacuuming, don’t forget to discard the bag. For a week, you should keep cleaning your house at least once a day. You can vacuum many times each day if the infestation is severe.
You should vacuum any upholstered furniture or places covered with fabric that is hard to wash. You can steam clean your carpets or hire a cleaner to do it for you.
Wipe and spray surfaces with vinegar
By washing surfaces like window sills, drawers, hangers, and shelves with vinegar, you can get rid of carpet beetles. Make sure to thoroughly clean any surface that may have food residue or dirt. The vinegar’s acidity instantaneously kills carpet beetles.
The smell of vinegar repels carpet beetles, who hate it. While it’s true that vinegar works well to get rid of carpet beetles, there are several things you should not clean with vinegar.
Spray insecticides
Ensure careful to only purchase insecticides with carpet beetles listed on the label. You can apply insecticides on surfaces or items that are difficult to wash or clean. However, avoid heavily using insecticides, especially if you have children or pets. Focus your attention on places that collect lint, like;
- Closet walls
- Shelvings where fabrics are stored
- Cracks and crevices
- Edges of carpets or rugs
Do not spray any clothing or bedding. Wearing gloves and protective gear is advisable when using insecticides. After spraying, step away from the area for a time. Also, wash your hands.
Conclusion
You shouldn’t have infestations of carpet beetles for whatever reason. Particularly not after learning that you can instantly kill them using insect foggers and boric acid. The other additional methods are insecticides, vinegar, steam cleaning, and vacuuming to get rid of carpet beetles.