the essentials in brief
- The larvae of the carpet beetle feel at home in dark niches and feed on hair, flakes of skin or feathers. The material pests can be found in the bed. Adult beetles feed on pollen and nectar.
- In search of suitable egg-laying places, females end up in apartments. When the larvae hatch unnoticed, they leave traces of feeding on textiles. Your hair can cause allergic reactions on the skin or in the airways.
- Traps should be set in order to detect an infestation. A thorough cleaning is recommended as a first step. Carpet beetles can contain diatomaceous earth or Neem oil be combated and scolded with essential oils.
- There are four common types that are characterized by variable coloring. Carpet beetles belong to a different genus than fur beetles. Beetles mate in spring, while larval development may be complete at different times.
Carpet beetle larva under a magnifying glass
Carpet beetles or figwort flower beetles hide where the vacuum cleaner cannot. They prefer hiding places in wardrobes or nestle in the laundry basket, under beds or between the cushions of sofas. The larvae find ideal retreats in carpet fibers or items of clothing such as furs and hides. They can appear in shoes with lining or cause nasty surprises when the long unused handbag is taken out of the closet. Animal beds and bird cages are also popular hiding places.
also read
- How to recognize and control carpet beetle larvae
- Recognize and eliminate pests on raspberries
- Recognize and eliminate pests on roses
Are carpet beetle larvae useful?
Carpet beetle larvae ingest remains of animal food
Larvae take on important tasks in nature because they can digest keratin and thus break down animal remains. Their food spectrum includes skin, fur, feathers or horn. If you find molting debris, larvae or a nest of eggs under the bed or in upholstered furniture, you should take a closer look at them. Such hiding places are ideal places to lay eggs, the appearance of which has few distinctive features.
Where larvae feel good
A female lays eggs only once a year. To lay eggs, she chooses suitable places that provide food for the larvae. Dust, hair and flakes of skin collect under the mattress. Light rarely falls into these dark niches, so that carpet beetle larvae feel particularly comfortable here.
Under these optimal development conditions, they can feed, molt and pupate undisturbed. During the larval development, molting occurs several times, which is why you can find a lot of molting remains in the typical hiding places in the event of an infestation. The infestation is usually only noticed late.
Do I have carpet beetle larvae in bed?
The carpet beetle lays whitish eggs that reach a size of 0.7 x 0.3 millimeters. Their shape is designed to be variable. Lobe-like appendages at the end of the eggs are typical. Fully grown carpet beetles are easy to spot, with the larvae moving away from the introduced one Australian carpet beetles differ from those of the figwort flower beetle by body size and color differentiate.
Typical appearance of a carpet beetle larva:
- Body is tapered towards the end
- The trunk is covered with tufts of longer arrow hairs
- Figwort flower beetle twelve to 15 millimeters long, golden yellow in color
- Australian carpet beetle up to six millimeters long, brownish and yellowish and white underneath
Youtube
Larvae but not beetles?
When the larvae pupate depends on the temperature and the food available. They can go into the pupal stage after six months or three years. As soon as the beetles hatch, they swarm out and find their way into nature. Due to this variable development, it is more common that you will find many larvae but no beetles.
Different food
Adult carpet beetles feed on pollen and nectar. They specialize in white flowering plants and are therefore preferred on hawthorn, mountain ash or umbelliferae. The insects usually cannot find suitable food in apartments, so that newly hatched beetles quickly head out into nature in search of food. The larvae, on the other hand, can be found wherever food is rich in keratin and chitin. Unlike many material pests, carpet beetles do not leave any droppings that would reveal their activity.
Larval food in apartments:
- dried up insects
- Dander and hair
- Bird feathers or down
- Textiles and wool
- dried parts of plants
- Pet food
Where do carpet beetles come from?
The insects are found in areas rich in herbs and bushes, which provide enough food. They're often in Dovecotes or bird nests, as the larvae have good chances of survival here. Carpet beetles are culture followers and live predominantly in the human environment.
Living space apartment
Adult beetles are attracted to the light and enter the apartment through open windows and doors in the evening. When they want to leave the house during the day, they are attracted to the daylight and gather on window panes. Their larvae avoid the light and retreat into dark hiding spots like cracks in the floorboards between floor coverings.
Recognize the damage
Wool, furs, carpets or hides can be damaged by the feeding activity of the carpet beetle. Larvae can be found on all items of clothing that have been freshly washed or contaminated with leftover food and sweat. Infested textiles show specific traces of feeding that can be confused with the activity of clothes moths or fur beetles.
The holes of both pests are irregular. In contrast to carpet beetles, clothes moths leave behind typical webs. Compared to the fur beetle, whose larvae feed on the hair roots of fur textiles, the larvae of the figwort flower beetle mainly tamper with the tips of their hair.
Are carpet beetles dangerous?
Many people report numerous stings that they trace back to carpet beetles. In fact, the insects are harmful to health. Adult beetles and their larvae must be viewed separately from one another, because not every stage of development is hazardous to health.
Can carpet beetles cause bites?
Adult carpet beetles are pure herbivores
Adult carpet beetles feed exclusively on nectar and pollen, which is why they are classified as harmless to humans. Carpet beetle larvae can bite through cardboard or paper. However, they are unable to damage human skin with their mouthparts. They neither cause a bite nor are they responsible for typical stings.
Larvae can be harmful to humans
A rash is often mistaken for a sting or a bite. Redness and wheals are the result of an allergy, which is triggered by the long hair of the larvae. Skin rashes reminiscent of bite wounds result from direct contact, for example when you put on a wool sweater in which larvae have lodged. Proteins found in the hair and feces of the larvae can also cause allergic reactions when inhaled.
How can I fight carpet beetles?
When you have clearly identified the pests, you can take control measures. While in the figwort flower beetle you should pay attention to larvae and eggs, in the Australian carpet beetle all stages of development must be eliminated. This species lives exclusively in buildings and, unlike its relatives, produces several generations in one year.
What can be done against carpet beetles?
- Find “nest” and eliminate larvae accumulations
- Remove skin residues and dust
- Thoroughly clean and let the niches dry off
- Wash suitable textiles at 60 degrees or bake in the oven
- freeze everything else for at least two days
- Clean carpets and upholstery with a steam jet
Most of the time you will find molting remains or living larvae by chance, so that not every hiding place can be found. Thoroughness is therefore the top priority when fighting. You should take several measures to completely eliminate bugs, larvae and eggs.
Carpet beetle control: trap as a first measure
If you want to get rid of carpet beetles, the first thing you should do is determine the severity of the infestation. A trap that attracts the adult beetles is suitable for this purpose. With glue traps as well as pheromone traps, the insects stick to a glued surface and die. Pheromone traps are species-specific and only attract male beetles. Sticky traps without sex attractants attract both female and male carpet beetles.
| Pheromone trap | Glue traps | |
|---|---|---|
| placement | on the windowsill | near the infested sites |
| control | if necessary | Every day |
| To use | to get rid of adult beetles | to detect an infestation |
| ingredients | Sex attractant | Flavors and glue |
| advantage | do not attract other insects | cheaper variant |
From the trapped individuals, you can estimate how many larvae can develop. A female figwort flower beetle lays up to 20 eggs. In the Australian carpet beetle, the number of eggs and the rate of reproduction vary depending on the temperature.
Remove with a vacuum cleaner
Regular sucking prevents infestation and removes any larvae and their food
Vacuuming all the niches is the first step in removing eggs and larvae and their moults. Thoroughness is extremely important, as the beetle larvae can be found in a wide variety of places in the home. They retreat into picture frames or live between inaccessible shelves. Use an upholstery nozzle that is as thin as possible to vacuum such cracks. Then dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag in the garbage can so that the larvae do not crawl into the apartment again.
Eliminate larvae in bed
Peel off the bed and wash covers. Take the mattress out of the bed box and place it on the balcony or terrace to ventilate. By tapping it out, you deprive the larvae of important sources of food such as hair and flakes of skin. The mattress dries well in the sun, so the living conditions for the beetle larvae deteriorate.
You should not use poison in the bedroom. Instead, put lavender bags or cedar blocks in the bed drawer, as the smell will drive away harmful insects such as carpet beetles.
Anyone who finds larvae in bed should precisely identify the species. Otherwise, most attempts at control will be unsuccessful.
Silicate powder or diatom flour
Some organisms develop skeletons with a pebble-like structure. Diatomaceous earth, which acts like silicate powder, is made from the shells of fossil diatoms or diatoms. Fossil plankton is an effective means of killing carpet beetles and their larvae. Sprinkle it in all hiding places and niches so that the organisms are pollinated directly. The crystalline structure of the particles destroys the protective wax layer and soaks up liquid, so that the living beings dry out after a short time. Diatomaceous earth is harmless to humans.
Does baking soda help against carpet beetles?
The leavening agent is one of the popular agents that destroy vermin in a natural way. In fact, the powder is deadly. However, you need to dust larvae and beetles thickly with baking soda. The fine particles primarily clog the insects' breathing openings so that they slowly suffocate. If the beetles do not come into contact with the agent, there is no effect.
Digression
This is how bugs breathe
Scourge with essential oils
The aromas of various plants act as so-called repellants. They deter many material pests such as carpet beetles. Such natural fragrances are harmless for most people, but can have a negative effect on the well-being of sensitive people. Test out beforehand which aromas you find pleasant. Since essential oils are volatile and quickly lose their effect, you should renew the substances regularly and at the latest after three months.
- lavender: Put dried flowers in bags or use lavandin oil
- Conifers: roughen fresh cedar wood with emery paper or vaporize incense sticks with cedar wood scent
- Deciduous trees: Drip oils from Australian tea trees or neem trees into bowls
- Patchouli: Spread leaves, granules or oil
Neem oil
Neem oil is a natural insecticide that negatively affects the development cycle of insects. If the beetles come into contact with the neurotoxin, they stop eating. They suffer from reduced vitality and can no longer reproduce.
Pyrethrum
If the infestation is particularly severe, usually only insecticides help. Pyrehtrum is a natural active ingredient that is made from Chrysanthemums is won. When exposed to light, the substance decomposes within a short time, so that the effect wears off. That is why products for combating vermin are enriched with a chemical enhancer. Agents with such piperonyl butoxide (PBO for short) are not natural products and can have a negative impact on health.
Effect on insects:
- Impairment of the nervous system
- Blockage of the sodium channels in the nerve membranes
- Nerve cells cannot build up their resting potential again
Tips
Many wool carpets have been treated with pyrethroids to protect them from being eaten by moths and beetles. This pretreatment is a criterion of the wool seal, which is awarded to carpets.
Species and relatives
The museum beetle looks very similar to the carpet beetle
The common carpet and museum beetles belong to the genus Anthenus. They are a few millimeters long and have a rounded shape. The material pests are often reminiscent of ladybugs. Their antennae have a characteristic feature by which carpet beetles can be clearly identified. They end in a small club that is slightly thicker in males than in females.
| scientific | colloquial | Appear | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Figwort flower beetle | Anthrenus scrophulariae | Carpet beetle | in nature as well as in buildings |
| Australian carpet beetle | Anthrenocerus australis | Carpet beetle | are limited in Europe to life in buildings |
| Cabbage flower beetle | Anthrenus verbasci | Museum beetle | almost exclusively in a human environment |
| Cabinet beetle | Anthrenus museorum | Museum beetle | often with the carpet beetle |
Variety of colors
Most species are characterized by a conspicuous pattern that appears on the dark-colored cover wings. These are covered by brown, red, white, or gray scales that wear away as you age. In older beetles, the abrasion has progressed so much that the body glows completely in the black base color.
Characteristic drawings:
- Figwort flower beetle: almost continuous red band, three indicated light transverse bands
- Australian carpet beetle: white spots and light zigzag bands, partly dissolved in spots
- Cabbage flower beetle: three light wavy cross bars, brown scales in between
- Cabinet beetle: black, white and brownish yellow scales in variable patterns
Risk of confusion: fur beetle
Species of a related genus cause similar damage. Fur beetles also belong to the group of bacon beetles, which, as a culture follower, prefer to settle in the vicinity of humans. Typical of these species is the fine body hair, which gives the insects their German name.
Unlike carpet beetles, fur beetles do not have any noticeable scales. Both the brown and the common fur beetle are dark in color, varying between brown and black. This makes them easy to mistake for carpet beetles, which appear dark due to the loss of their colored scales.
Interesting facts about carpet beetles
In early spring, carpet beetles suddenly appear out of nowhere. They crawl out of their wintering quarters and swarm out in search of food. They fly in the direction of daylight to find nectar and pollen. In spring, carpet beetles can be seen in large numbers on various plants such as chervil, wild carrot or sparrow bushes.
pairing
After the beetles hatch, they go in search of food. They prefer to fly on white flowers, where ripening occurs. Pollen and nectar are ingested in large quantities for energy. Females and males meet at the flowers, so that mating occurs.
Egg laying
The females consciously choose darker places to lay their eggs and increasingly avoid the light. In the evening you can enter apartments through open windows and doors. Light sources attract additional carpet beetles from outside. Most of the eggs are laid between May and June. As a rule, a female lays up to 20 eggs directly in the brood substrate. The clutch can also contain around 40 eggs. This means that carpet beetles are less productive than other species.
development
The larval stage can last up to four months
At room temperature, the first larvae hatch after about two weeks. A larva goes through five to six molting stages before pupating. The higher the temperatures, the faster the eggs develop into adult beetles. At 27 degrees Celsius, the complete development takes between three and four months. If the conditions are unfavorable, the development cycle can extend over several years.
- some of the larvae develop into beetles in the same year
- many beetles overwinter in the pupae and only hatch in the following spring
- Larvae often overwinter in unheated rooms
Tips
Moulting residues can also be assigned to certain species or genera. If the larva leaves a shell with a conical shape and tufts of hair, it is a bacon beetle.
frequently asked Questions
How do I recognize carpet beetles?
The appearance of the adults is characterized by an oval body shape, which makes them resemble ladybirds. All Anthrenus species have this characteristic. Carpet beetles reach a size between three and five millimeters.
The basic color is black, with young beetles being completely covered by scales of different colors. These ensure an almost continuous red band along the sash top seam. Typical are three indicated light transverse bands that stretch over the upper wings. There may be more reddish scales on the sides. With age, the scales rub off, making the beetles darker.
Distinguishing characteristic of the pronotum:
- laterally light red and dark in the middle
- red colouration at the seam to the wings
- In addition to this red variant, there are yellow versions
Why can carpet beetle larvae digest keratin?
Keratin is a protein that forms hair or feathers. It is insoluble in water and consists of numerous disulfide bridges that only a few species can break down. These specialists include not only carpet beetle larvae but also clothes moths. The larvae of the figwort flower beetle can only feed on feathers and hair, as special microorganisms live in their intestinal appendages. These are able to synthesize essential substances and thereby promote the digestion of keratin.
How quickly do carpet beetles develop?
The amount of time that can elapse from egg to adult beetle can vary. How quickly the larvae go through their individual stages of development depends largely on the temperature. They go through several stages between which they molt. The number of larval stages also varies between six and twelve. At normal room temperatures, the entire development takes about 3.5 months. If the conditions are unfavorable, it can take up to 24 months and rarely three years.
How long does a carpet beetle live?
When the beetle hatches, it remains in the old larval skin for two to three months if the outside conditions are unfavorable. Only in spring do they break free and swarm to the daylight to find food. Carpet beetles of this type have a life expectancy of a few days. If the insects only stay in the last larval skin for three weeks, their lifespan can be extended to a month. This also depends on the food supply and water availability, so that slight fluctuations are possible.
Why are carpet beetle larvae useful?
They decompose remains that are no longer eaten by other living things. Carpet beetle larvae can digest dry remains of dead animals such as cartilage, hair, feathers or claws. Therefore, carpet beetles prefer to lay their eggs in bird nests with feathers or dead bird cubs.
