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Carpet beetleThe carpet beetle is very common throughout England and Europe. They resemble ladybirds but are smaller and colours vary from brown to black while some are variegated with yellows and whites. Carpet beetles are a "pest of animal products" and a major pest of textiles. They have become more of a problem in modern times with the introduction of central heating and wall to wall carpets, which provide good breeding conditions. Adult carpet beetles live outside and feed on pollen and nectar. During the late summer they will occasionally fly in through open windows and lay their eggs upon natural fibres. The eggs hatch in 2-3 weeks and the larvae which are brown and golden with hairs (sometimes called woolly bears) will be occasionally seen crawling on walls, carpets and clothing. It is the larvae which do the damage as they will eat any natural fibres. This can identified as holes appearing in clothing and tufts of carpet coming away when hoovering. Control They will sometimes lay their eggs in discarded bird nests within a roof, so this is a place to check should you have a problem and remove if necessary. Regular hoovering and surveillance are important during the summer and autumn. Residual insecticide treatments to control the larvae can be carried out by the Council for a small charge. Alternatively it maybe possible to purchase treatments from D.I.Y. stores or carpet shops. For more information and free advice phone 01993 861060 or use the online service on the right of this page. |
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