Help me identify my household pest... and help me kill it/them (in an OS way)

heroicnich

Oh dear... please help me, old stylers! I've got an unidentified household pest, and I've not had much luck finding out what it is, and thus how to kill it (preferably with white vinegar). If I post a description, can you all please wrack your brains, and enlighten me with your collective wisdom?

It's a crawly thing, probably between 2 and 3 millimetres long. Looks sort of brown, and has some hairs on it. I haven't ever seen it fly, in fact I have only seen about 4 of these things over the course of a couple of months, so I haven't been too concerned - but now the fact that they do keep appearing is bothering me! Neither I nor my OH have been bitten - the bugs have mostly been appearing in or around our newly decorated bedroom - new carpet, curtains, bed, painted walls and ceiling - the lot! I've seen one on the carpet, one on the bed (just now.... eeeewww), one in my sock drawer and one on the wall just outside the bedroom. When squished it goes kind of powdery, like a moth does, which had led me to wonder whether it's moth related? Anyway, if this rings any bells with anyone, I'd REALLY appreciate your thoughts! As you might imagine, having *just* finished decorating the bedroom, I'm keen to find a solution, especially a low-impact one!

Thank you, all you lovely people, Nich x

doddsy

I think these are most certainly the larvae of the carpet beetle, otherwise known as woolly bears. See below.

http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/BathNES/environment/animalsandpests/Pests/CarpetBeetles.htm

We became infested with these whilst living in married quarters and unfortunately seem to have brought them with us. They eat protein and love wool, so woollen jumpers, carpets etc are nibbled. I had a white woollen evening jacket which was in a spare wardrobe, it was eaten to shreds inside its cover before I had noticed.:eek:

I squish them as soon as I see them but have never tried a pesticide

hth

jessicamb

Yuck!

I have no idea what it is - and I hate to ask but do you have a picture? Maybe somebody can tell from that . Or what have you tried already to get rid of them?

You have my sympathies - but the last time somebody posted about bugs on here I found them in my flour too the next day :eek: . Fingers crossed that doesnt happen again.

heroicnich

Thanks for your advice, doddsy; I've had a look on the internet and have seen a picture, so I think your diagnosis is correct! The main answer seems to be doing more vacuuming (though it recommends throwing away the vacuum bag after cleaning - not very OS but I think I'll compromise my principles on this one). I'll try to avoid pesticides if I can but my work wardrobe is based on 2 woollen suits and 2 woollen skirts so I'd better make progress on this quickly! I just can't believe we seem to have got them immediately after getting a new carpet...! Fingers crossed for you, Jessicamb... though if you want to see a picture of what I'm dealing with, they are the larvae (note that the picture shows them rather larger than life size, thankfully!).

jessicamb

heroicnich wrote:

Thanks for your advice, doddsy; I've had a look on the internet and have seen a picture, so I think your diagnosis is correct! The main answer seems to be doing more vacuuming (though it recommends throwing away the vacuum bag after cleaning - not very OS but I think I'll compromise my principles on this one). I'll try to avoid pesticides if I can but my work wardrobe is based on 2 woollen suits and 2 woollen skirts so I'd better make progress on this quickly! I just can't believe we seem to have got them immediately after getting a new carpet...! Fingers crossed for you, Jessicamb... though if you want to see a picture of what I'm dealing with, they are the larvae (note that the picture shows them rather larger than life size, thankfully!).

Thanks for that.......(I think)

Well at least I know what I am looking for :eek:

Good luck with getting rid of them.

doddsy

We got our first 'visit' in May one year. Lying in bed one morning I saw one on the pillow, flicked it off, turned over and saw another one. So I sat up in bed and they were all over the duvet, - about 10 of them. I then looked across to the wall where there was a chimney breast, and they were literally streaming out of the air brick!! I think there must have been a birds nest or something in there. With real pine furniture they get in the tiny cracks between the boards, in the frame of the bed etc. I'm afraid it's now a constant vigil, regularly shaking out my woollen jumpers etc.
doddsy

heroicnich

Typical. You save up for ages to get a carpet with just a SMIDGEN of wool in it... and get carpet beetles! At least I haven't seen more than one at any one time. Plus with no kids or animals around I can use pesticides with impunity! I've just vacuumed the inside of my wardrobe but I guess it's war from here on in.