More Information About How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles or 'House Beetles'

Carpet Beetles, colloquially sometimes referred to as 'House Beetles', are some of the most stubborn of destructive household insects and to get rid of carpet beetles in the house requires a combination of vigilance, thorough cleaning routines and appropriate treatments to eradicate them and defend from their potential return.

Vigilance requires knowing where to look and what to look for. Carpet beetles will tend to frequent undisturbed and darker areas such as under sofas and beds, along skirting boards where they meet fitted carpets and under other standing furniture such as bookcases and wardrobes – carpet beetle are unlikely to lay eggs in areas that are frequently used / walked upon, so you are unlikely to find them in the centre of a living room for example. If you have an infestation in a living room, we would suggest that you also check upholstered furniture thoroughly to ensure they have not moved from the carpets into the furniture. Carpet beetle eggs are very small so they may not be evident unless laid on darker carpets or fabrics. The larvae are colloquially known as ‘woolly bears’ due to their distinctive appearance – see our Identify Carpet Beetles page. The adult carpet beetles may be of the variegated type (most common) or plain black.

Cleaning routines to support getting rid of carpet beetles / house beetles involve ensuring all areas are dealt with and in particular those parts of rooms that are maybe not ‘front of mind’ when performing weekly cleaning routines – as above: under sofas and beds, along skirting boards etc. Frequent use of the fine nozzle of the vacuum cleaner in these areas ensuring all edges, cracks and crevices are covered is really important and will help get rid of some of any eggs and larvae present. Human or animal hair gathering along with scraps and dust will simply provide encouragement to carpet beetles in the form of additional food sources. We always recommend that you empty your vacuum cleaner outside the house.

Appropriate treatment will depend on your preference for either harder hitting treatments that involve the use of pesticides, which will kill carpet beetles / house beetles and deal with the infestation more quickly (although safe for people to use), or organic and natural solutions which always require more effort, but can yield the same results over time. Our recommendation is to use the treatments contained in our Carpet Beetle Killer Kits which have been formulated with our suppliers and customers to deliver the most effective results and quickly, or a combination of the Fortefog Natural Protector Spray and the Oa2ki Organic Powder (the Powder Aerosol being particularly helpful with a fine applicator and a broad spray nozzle).

Should you require any further information or advice on getting rid of carpet beetles or 'house beetles', please do not hesitate to contact us on help@pestzap.com or by telephone on 01300 321098 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5.30pm)