Carpet beetles will usually deposit eggs near sources of food for their larvae. The adult beetles won\’t eat carpet fibers but their larvae will thrive on any kind of organic material, including cotton, wool, silk, furs, dead insects, pet hair, human hair, skin scales,dried plant products,food scraps or leather.

Wool carpets or carpet and other fabric made from natural fibers are particularly susceptible to carpet beetle attack. Over 90 percent of carpet manufactured nowadays, is made from synthetic material like nylon which is not readily eaten by carpet beetles, except where they are tainted or infused with contaminants like food or drink stains, urine, sweat or other body fluids.

Apart from actually destroying the carpet, by eating it up, carpet beetles may also shed tiny hair strands that can cause the development or escalation of allergic reactions, when inhaled.

Carpet beetles are hard to see because they are so small, and sometimes their presence may not become apparent until damage has already been done to the carpet or upholstery. They like to hide in dark secluded areas like corners, crevices drawers and closets.They can also be found on the underside of rugs. Especially wool rugs. Tell tale signs of the presence of these pests may be a bunch of fecal pellets, each pellet about as big as a grain of salt, or shed pupal skins.

Adult beetles are attracted by sunlight, and feed outside on pollen and nectar from flowers. When they are ready to lay their eggs, they will fly into your home through open windows or cracks and crevices, or they are sometimes carried in on flowers cut from the garden.

Here are the keys to controlling carpet beetle infestation:

Locate the beetle source. Check to see where the larvae are feeding. Look for places where there may be dead insects, food scraps, hair, other natural fibers, or larvae food sources. This is particularly essential for wool carpet.

Keep adult beetles out. Make sure doors and windows are properly secured, and that weather-strip guards are always in place, especially in spring and summer.

Vacuum Often. Vacuum your carpet and furniture frequently. It is recommended that this be done at least once per week, but it should be done more frequently if at all possible. You will want to use a powerful vacuum to suck up all the eggs and larvae together with all the food sources that will allow the beetle larvae to thrive. Make sure the dust container is emptied outside the house.

Remove infected items. Get rid of items like rugs, furniture or old clothes that may be infested with carpet beetles. Throw them in the garbage or destroy them otherwise. Don\’t give them away.

Clean carpets and furniture regularly. Carpet beetles and larvae will be killed at a temperature above 140 degrees F. This temperature can be maintained at the carpet surface by a truck mounted deep steam carpet cleaning system. Their powerful on-board vacuum will also suck out living and dead organisms, their byproducts, and food stock from your carpet.

In situations where the carpet beetle infestation is severe, it may be necessary to call in a pest control professional. Regular and frequent vacuuming and steam carpet cleaning however, will usually be adequate for control of carpet beetle infestations.

Victor Nugent is Owner and President of AJS Carpet Cleaning, Inc. with over 11 years experience in the Carpet Cleaning business. For more information call 801 368-0705 or visit our website at AJS Carpet Cleaning, Inc or AJS Carpet Cleaning Provo

Victor Nugent is Owner and President of AJS Carpet Cleaning, Inc. with over 11 years experience in the Carpet Cleaning business. For more information call 801 368-0705 or visit our website at http://www.ablejan.com or http://www.carpetcleaningprovo.info/

Author Bio: Victor Nugent is Owner and President of AJS Carpet Cleaning, Inc. with over 11 years experience in the Carpet Cleaning business. For more information call 801 368-0705 or visit our website at AJS Carpet Cleaning, Inc or AJS Carpet Cleaning Provo

Category: Home Management
Keywords: carpet cleaning,carpet cleaners,wool carpet,carpet beetle