Carpet Beetle

The Black Carpet Beetle, the Common Carpet Beetle, the Varied Carpet Beetle (shown), the Furniture Carpet Beetle and a close cousin, the Fur Beetle, have all been introduced to New Zealand and are frequently found devouring the woollens and carpets of New Zealand homes.

Larvae are likely to be underneath the carpet where they chew through the fibres leaving the upper fibres to come loose.

The carpet beetle larva (grubs often called woolly bears) and several other insect larvae such as hide beetle, larder beetle, clothes moth and case moth, destroy carpet and other natural fibrous material. Carpet beetle, larder beetle and hide beetle are members of a group known as the dermestid beetles and are pests of considerable economic importance throughout the world by damaging a wide variety of stored products.

While the clothes moth, carpet beetle and hide beetle larvae eat natural fibres such as wool, the case moth larvae use the fibres of natural or synthetic material to encase themselves in a protective tube of fibres.

Case moth larvae are often not recognised as being alive. They look like small rolled pieces of carpet but you may be able to see the brown head of the larva sticking out one end. The adults are small brown moths that often congregate in the upper corners of rooms.

To get rid of carpet beetle follow these simple steps:

1. Lift the bare patches of carpet and spray the back of the carpet, floors and top of carpet with NO Bugs Super or NO Bugs Indoor.
2. A light spray around the edges of carpets every 6 months will help prevent attack in the future. If the carpet is so badly damaged it needs replaced be sure to spray the floors, and skirting before laying new carpet.
3. If the carpet cannot be lifted easily then spray the upper surface heavily with NO Spiders Total Protection.
4. If the carpet is so badly damaged it needs replaced be sure to spray the floors, and skirting before laying new carpet.
5. Carpet beetle will also attack woollen clothes.
6. Check all your woollen and other natural fibre clothes and fabrics. If you find holes or find moth larvae or pupae you must treat the infestation quickly to prevent further damage. Remove and wash all clothing and spray wardrobes, drawers and any other affected areas with NO Bugs Indoor or NO Bugs Super. Allow to dry and replace checked and cleaned clothes.

The use of NO Bugs Super Bug Bomb or NO Bugs Super Fumigator fumigators can help get rid of carpet beetle used in conjunction with the sprays.

• Download the 1-2-3 Carpet Beetle Control Programme
• Watch the video on How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetle and Clothes Moth

• The varied carpet beetle is Anthrenus verbasci
• The black carpet beetle is Attagenus megatoma
• Other Dermestid beetles include the hide beetle, larder beetles, khapra beetle and others.

Look Out For

Have you seen your carpet becoming thread bare around the edges? Are fibres of your carpet falling out? If yes, this may indicate that the larvae of carpet beetle, clothes moth or case moth larvae are under the carpet chewing through the fibres.

Are you finding strange little cylinders of fibres around the edge of the carpet, often with a dark brown tip at one end? If so, you may have case moth larvae chewing your carpet. These cylinders are the larvae themselves wrapped in carpet fibre, the brown tip is the head of the larva.

Have you found unexplained holes in your favourite woollen sweater? This may indicate an infestation of clothes moth or one of its relatives.

Carpet beetle are members of the dermestid beetles. Other dermestid beetles also feed on natural materials. For example the fur beetle larvae feeds on furs and leathers. Other dermestids such as leather and hide are scavengers of carcases. Larder beetles feed on dry goods often found in larders and kitchens.

• More on Stored Product Insect Pests.
• Download the 1-2-3 Carpet Beetle Control Programme
• Watch the video on How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetle and Clothes Moth