Carpet beetles

Have you noticed small holes in your carpet? If so this could be the work of carpet beetles. Find out what they are and how to get rid of them.

Carpet beetles

The Varied Carpet Beetle is around 2-4 mm long and looks similar to a small, mottled brown/grey/cream ladybird. Their larvae are small, covered in brown hairs and roll up when disturbed.
The adult carpet beetle can fly and generally lives outside feeding on pollen and nectar. They like to lay their eggs on felt, fabric and accumulated fluff in buildings. The larvae eat through the carpet in well-defined round holes along the edge of the carpet or fabric.

Getting rid of carpet beetles

1. Ensure that you keep fluff and debris around the house to a minimum including airing cupboards, shelves, floorboards, carpets and upholstery.

2. Carpets should be vacuum-cleaned on a regular basis.

3. Lift up carpets and the underlay to ensure that floors are as clean as possbile.

4. If the infestation is bad you will need an insecticide to get rid of them.