Carpet beetle larvae have prickly little hairs that cause a reaction in some people that looks very much like bed bug bites.
Carpet beetle larvae in bed.
Fortunately the hot soapy water should kill off any adult carpet beetles and larvae populations hiding in the bedding.
Bed bugs measure of an inch long.
And people will often confuse carpet beetles and bed bugs.
How to find larvae we can use a good flashlight or knife nail fail small spatula to find larvae in the carpet.
Bed bugs feed on human blood while carpet beetles actually prefer pollen and nectar which is why they often enter your home on cut flowers.
Removing larvae from the places eradicate future beetles.
That s because bed bugs always look the same but there are a lot of carpet beetle species.
The reader has already started implementing some of the elimination strategies we have written about before but asked for further advice.
Once inside carpet beetles expand their diet to include hair fur silk wool clothes and other fibrous material.
The reader s problem is relatively widespread as the carpet beetle larvae can be found throughout her entire apartment on the mattress carpet and walls.
However lint and dust deposits in air ducts and upholstered furniture are not easily removed.
While their larvae can and will feed on the fabrics in and around your bed they do not typically live in your bed like bed bugs can.
An adult bed bug next to a carpet beetle larvae.
If any of your sheets blankets and comforters are labeled dry clean only following the manufacturer s instructions can be vital as long as you use hot water and soap.
Knowing this it is important to be able to distinguish between the two.
There are in fact physical differences between them that will help identify which pest has moved into your home.
If you have cotton wool or other natural fibrous items in your home then they will likely get damaged if you have a carpet beetle larvae infestation.
Carpet beetles on the other hand measure between 1 16 of an inch and 1 8 of an inch long.
She learned that they did not need to chemically treat for carpet beetles as it isn t the live insects that cause the allergy.
The carpet beetle larvae has white and yellow brown scales and tufts of hair on the back of their abdomen while the adult bed bugs are a reddish brown color and oval shaped much like that of an apple seed.
Because carpet beetle larvae feed on lint dust and animal hairs strict housekeeping procedures may help to keep an infestation at bay.
Dry cleaning is suggested as carpet beetle larvae thrive on stained clothing.
