Beetles don’t just crawl in your garden. They could also be present in your home, i.e. on your carpet or clothes. The beetle that commonly invades homes and damages carpets and clothing is the infamous black carpet beetle. Generally, this beetle tends to invade homes in the spring, feeding on woolen clothing, rugs, and pet food.
You will be able to identify this beetle by knowing some facts about it. It is about 3 to 5 millimeters long, with an elongated, oval body. It has the ability to fly and that is how it gets into homes. The beetle is typically black in color and has minute hair on the body. However, there are some species of the carpet beetle that can be reddish brown instead of black.
Black carpet beetle larvae are about 12.5 to 13 millimeters long. They are carrot-shaped and golden brown in color. However, the only characteristic feature that can help you identify black carpet beetle larvae is the golden tuff of hair on the tapered end of the body. The larvae consume all items derived from animals, such as your pet’s hair, meat, leather, and wool. The larvae often invade kitchen cupboards and winter clothing cupboards.
Once mating is over in the spring, the female beetle will fly to a house and search for a suitable place to lay her eggs. The eggs are whitish and small in size and the female will seek to lay them near a food source. After 6 to 11 days, if the temperature is warm, the eggs hatch and the larvae emerge. The larval stage lasts around 258 to 639 days. After that, the adult black carpet beetle emerges and can have a lifespan ranging from a few weeks to many months.
Although the black carpet beetle does not bite or sting, it can cause allergic reactions in people who are sensitive to allergens. More than that, the damage that the beetle can cause is quite high and therefore it is often considered a pest. Instead of using chemicals to get rid of the black carpet beetle, it is wise to go green. Put on a pair of gloves, pick up the beetles and dispose of them. You can even use your vacuum cleaner to pick up beetles from carpet or clothing. Drown beetles in soapy water to kill them. Then sprinkle diatomaceous earth or silica gel on the places where the black carpet beetles were found. This will kill more beetles that you missed.
