Is the Black Carpet Beetle Eating Your Whole Closet?

Yep! That "rice crispy" and brownish looking thing is the black carpet beetle in its larvae stage..

It will really upset you when you are about to pull out your favorite woolen garment, especially in the fall.

The holes you see were not caused by the adult beetle but by its larvae since adults feed mostly on pollen.

Aside from hiding near your woolen garments (in closet corners and such) larvae can also be found in pantries and cabinets while the adults which are oval in shape and black in color can be found hanging around window sills.

Both beetle stages usually cluster together.

Carpet Beetle

Here are some Black Carpet Beetle preventative measures

Start by figuring out the source of the problem, where are they coming from? How are they getting into your house?

1. Inspect

The two most likely places are going to be food and clothes.

Food, if you track them down to your kitchen cabinets and food products in the kitchen throw them away, vacuum the place where you found them and last clean and disinfect the area.

Clothes, old clothes are the main source here. Be careful when you are buying used clothes, but if you find the black carpet beetle on any of your clothes take these items to the dry cleaners.

2. Clean

Almost every pest control page you will see on this will make a point about cleanliness. There's just not a way around cleaning everyday, specially if you are having bug problems. In this particular case focus on your closets and under your furniture. Vacuum and clean throughly.

3. Seal

Next, you are going to try to build the adult bugs out. Grab some caulk or other sealant and start from the outside. Seal every crevice or crack you see. Once done, do the same for doors and windows. Don't give them a chance to come in.

Attic Cleaning and Birds

Black Carpet Beetle Larvae

Finally, we kept the best for last. It's time to go visit your attic and do some housecleaning.

What kind of attic do you have? What do you use it for?

Most people use their attic as a storage for old items like books, old furniture, and.. should I say it?

Yep, those old clothes you were able to fit into a few years back. ;)

Same principle applies here, clean, tidy it up and try your best to keep it that way. Next, look for cracks and crevices beetles might be using to get into your home.

Now, if you have the type of attic that could not be used for storage then chances are you never go up there unless there's a problem that needs your attention. Birds and other pests find these attics quite their own!

So make sure you go up there and look for bird nests. They tend are known to attract the black carpet beetle.

Black Carpet Beetle Chemical Treatments

Then as a last resort, which usually ends up being the first, you can try using chemicals.

Start by finding a good insecticide and spot treat baseboards, crevices and cracks. I recommend you use a residual type insecticide, but make sure you read the directions carefully.

I hear a lot of stories about fogging and it always comes down to somebody ruined their clothes by fogging their closet.

Avoid being "that guy", or "girl".