When you think of common pests, you might immediately imagine pests like ants, spiders, and rodents. However, there are many other species that often get into Fort Worth homes. One that you might not know about is the carpet beetle, but despite their small size, they often invade houses in the area, even if you don’t notice them right away.
One interesting fact about carpet beetles is that they are a big problem both at their larval stage and in adulthood. Their larvae are known for eating through fibers found in things like carpets, clothing, and furniture, which can lead to property damage.
What Do These Beetles Look Like?
Since carpet beetles can be a problem at all stages of their life cycle, it’s important to know what they look like, depending on which stage they are in. Adults of the species are usually black, but can have scales with colors like yellow, brown, and orange, and have round bodies and six legs. They have wings that lay flat on their bodies, and they are able to fly. At the larval stage, these beetles look a lot like fuzzy worms. They can be anywhere from red to brown to black, and they have banded markings across their bodies. They can also be identified by the golden hair they have on their abdomens, and they also tend to be slightly larger than the adults at about an inch long.
Property Damage And Carpet Beetles
Given that carpet beetles are such a tiny pest, you might not think they could do a lot of damage, but they can become a big problem. While it’s only the larvae that eat the fibers, they can consume anything from cotton to wool to leather. If the infestation is allowed to grow, it can get out of hand and damage many items around your house. While the adult carpet beetles don’t cause property damage, they are the ones that get into homes in the first place and lay the eggs. So, you don’t want to have these beetles in your home at any stage of their lives. The adults of the species can enter dwellings through tiny cracks and holes in windows, doors, walls, or screens.
Seven Simple Carpet Beetle Prevention Tips
Since, over time, these beetles can cost you a lot of money to replace ruined items like carpeting and furniture, the best way to protect your property is to prevent them in the first place. Prevention steps focus mostly on keeping the adults from getting inside in the first place.
Here are seven easy steps you can follow:
- As the adults eat nectar and pollen, make sure to keep flowering plants away from the exterior of your home.
- Check that screens in doors and windows aren’t broken.
- Place weather stripping around doors and windows.
- Install door sweeps.
- Regularly clean your carpets and upholstery.
- Store any cloth items that are in storage in airtight containers.
- Ensure that doors and windows fit tightly in their frames.
We Can Help With Carpet Beetle Infestation
While you can take steps to prevent carpet beetles from getting into your Fort Worth home, once they make their way inside they are very difficult to remove. They quickly spread from room to room, and it’s nearly impossible to remove every single beetle, including their eggs, on your own. No need to worry, though; the pest control experts at All-Safe Pest & Termite are here to help. We are a family-owned and -operated company with more than 30 years of experience, so we can offer reliable assistance for the prevention and control of carpet beetles. Contact us today to request a free estimate.