Carpet beetles and borax

Buttonmoons

I've had them since I moved into my flat (5yrs ago!) and the whole building (skyscraper) has them, even the other tower blocks have them. I don't even know where the nest is but I find them in every room, I'm almost sure they are breeding behind the toilet/pipes/etc but I cant get in there so I make do with lobbing bleach/raid/cursing in that general direction.

I've found dead ones lying in my cutlery drawer _pale_ one ON MY BED chilling out on my pillow (slept on sofa that night)

They make me sick and the cats don't even bother with them, BORING, until one of them flys......urgh they are sick. They come at night time I find, about 2/3am (i work nights so up and down to loo) and they scurry to the sides of the carpet thinking I wont see them, oddly they hang around the cat food a lot, I just dust them all up and flush down loo!

bellalulafarm

I just bought a cowhide rug at a local collector's sale and discovered when I got it home small white specks attached to the hair shafts in multiple places on the rug. I have to pull the hair out to get them off, as they can't be detached from the hair itself. Their appearance is similar to head lice nits. I also found one larval husk that looks like a clothes moth husk. After reading this thread and many of the very helpful links attached, I'm wondering if they may be varigated carpet beetle eggs, but I can't seem to find a description of the eggs. I was going to freeze the hide for 2 weeks, and am considering using an insecticide or lice shampoo as well--any opinions on this? Potentially I may be able to return it as well; I like it, but I don't want to introduce an infestation into the house. Currently it is living on the clothesline.

Thanks.

sunshinesheli

:eek:

Okay. I am freaking out a bit. I went to my Mums last week to help her do some sorting out, as she finds it difficult to do this kind of thing on her own. I noticed that in what used to be my old bedroom - now a storage type room which no-one really goes into any more - there were lots of tiny dead bugs, and a few things which has holes in like they had been eaten through.

Fast forward to this morning, and it appears I have brought some to my house, as there is one on the wall in my bedroom at home :eek::mad: I thought I had been careful not to bring them, but obviously not careful enough.

They are about 3mm long, and look a bit 'grub' like, with a dark coloured mid-section but are lighter at either end. I think they eat fabric, but I don't *think* they are cloth eating moth babies. I'm not certain however, but I did google image them (and nearly had to look through my fingers - not a huge bug fan!!) and cloth eating moth babies look longer, and seem to be all a light colour, without the darker mid-section.

Can anyone help me identify these things, so I can figure out how the heck to get rid?? I am fairly desperate!!!!

tracey12_2

Could it be a carpet beetles? They feed on carpets, woollens and clothes.

Tracey

Rainy-Days

It could be carpet beetle, otherwise known as woolley bears.

They munch through on all sorts but mainly textiles are their main food source.

I don't know how you can get rid of them other than to make sure you wash all your stuff really well, vacuum and clean the place right through. It sounds like a small infestation at the moment but if you don't do anything about it it could get bigger!

sunshinesheli

Hmmmm just had a quick google, and it looks like it might be carpet beetles. Though the images on google look spikey, and I haven't seen any spikes on the ones I've looked at... but maybe the pictures on google are magnified??

Right, off to get the hoover out!!!! *shudder*

Pink.

Hi sunshinesheli,

As your thread has dropped down the board I've added it to our main thread on carpet beetles where hopefully you'll be able to find some advice.

Pink

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

I found four of these beetles this week together with one of the wooly bears,which I think is the larvae (is that right).
We have wood flooring throughout the house and have never had a problem before however I have just had the stairs and landing fitted with a wool carpet and I take it this is where they have come from as they appeared after the carpet came.
I tried steam cleaning it three times to see if that would kill them off but I then just find the beetles on the wood flooring.
I got the carpet from John Lewis so I'm going to get in touch with them as I'm hoping they may take responsibility but I doubt it.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

Uncle_Cuddles wrote: »

Sorry to hijack your thread but we have what I think are carpet beatles, but funnily enough we keep finding the beetles and not the larvae. And they are in an unusual place - we keep finding the beetles in mugs, cups and bowls, etc. in a couple of kitchen cupboards. At least I think they are carpet beetles - they are round, about 3-4mm in diameter, and are stripey brown/yellow. I can't find anything else that looks like them on the internet. We don't have any carpets downstairs, and we can't find any evidence of them upstairs, so it appears that they are just isolated in a couple of cupboards in the kitchen.

I guess from reading this thread, the only solution is regular cleaning out of the cupboard, and sticky traps.

Funnily enough I've had these in my kitchen,they're not carpet beetle though.
I don't know what they are,my son-in law works for Rentokil and he does'nt know what they are either.
I've only found them now and again in mugs or bowls or hiding behind things on the granite worktops.
They don't seem to do any damage so I don't know what they eat but every now and again I'll find four or five of them within a few feet of each other.
I'd be interested to know what they are if you ever find out but despite searching the internet I can't find anything that looks like them.

OldBird_2

sunshinesheli wrote: »

Hmmmm just had a quick google, and it looks like it might be carpet beetles. Though the images on google look spikey, and I haven't seen any spikes on the ones I've looked at... but maybe the pictures on google are magnified??

Right, off to get the hoover out!!!! *shudder*

Adult Carpet Beetles are not a pest in your home as they tend to live outside and eat nectar and pollen. However, towards late summer they are extremely likely to enter your home and lay up to 40 eggs at a time in any natural fibres, such as curtains and carpets, in your home.
The eggs hatch as larvae within 2 to 3 weeks and it is these larvae – sometimes called Woolly Bears – that do so much damage, because their diet consists of any natural fibre such as carpets, soft furnishings and clothes.

I found this info on the Rentokil Pest Control web site in their Residential section. They also have a section called Pest Guides where you can see images and info on many insects.