CARPET BEETLE CONTROL

   This article is about carpet beetle control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   This article will detail basic biology of
carpet beetles, why they are a problem in the
home and how you should treat infestations. There
are several species of carpet beetles found
throughout the United States. The more common species
include the varied carpet beetle, the common carpet
beetle and the furniture carpet beetle. Others are 
the hide beetle and the odd beetle. These pests
are more common than people realize. This is true
because they usually don't develop into large
populations that are easy to find. You are likely
to find one or two every now and then but since
they live in hidden areas "out of sight", they
seem to be "out of mind". Unfortunately, their
populations will readily grow and will cause a 
lot of damage. 
   Carpet beetles exist throughout the entire
United States. They live outside feeding on many
types of plants. During the summer months, when
populations are most active, they will find their
way into homes through windows and open doors. Carpet
beetles can fly so it is easy for them to get
inside. It is not known why they seem ready to 
get into our homes, but it is suspected there are
certain scents or odors which lure them. Like the
common house fly, carpet beetles seem to know when
doors or windows are open. If they enter at this
time, they are usually looking for a place to lay
eggs. Adults which have fed during the summer months
mate and females will spend their time laying eggs.
All types of carpet beetles resemble lady bugs, but
are smaller - about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of a lady
bug. The coloration of carpet beetles vary. Like
snow flakes, it is not likely you will find similar
patterns on specimens unless they are gathered from
the same home. Only then is it likely they were
from the same crop. Their color may range from light
to dark. You may find some with different colored
spots on their wings. Some are solid in color.
Although their look and coloration vary, a trained
eye can properly identify them.
   Once inside the home, female carpet beetle will
look for a place to lay eggs. She will lay 50 to
100 eggs on surfaces that she feels will provide
good food for the larva when they hatch. Larva are
the stage which cause all the damage. They eat just
about anything. Common food includes carpet, furniture,
clothes, drapery, pet or human hair, antiques, and 
just about anything which is made of or has natural
material in it. For example, most synthetic carpets
have some natural content mixed in during the
manufacturing process. Carpet beetles have been
observed living on such fabric although the natural
materials added to the fiber was only 10%. This
ability to find food will enable them to live on 
many items throughout the home. Most people will
find pockets of adults or larva. This is common
on the underside of furniture, along the baseboard 
where carpet meets molding, under area rugs,
or in closets.  Carpet beetles only lay eggs
once a year, although established populations in
the home may do so twice. Adults live 2-4 years,
so they are capable of laying several hundred
eggs during their life span. Since they seem to
attracted to light, there is no real pattern to
how or where they may infest a home. You may
find a pocket nesting in a piece of furniture
and then another upstairs in your closet. These
pockets could have been formed by different 
beetles coming into the home or an adult could
have left the furniture downstairs and found
it's way into the closet. Because of this random
behavior, it is necessary to treat all the 
carpeting to insure none are avoiding control 
methods. Many people will make the mistake of not 
treating certain areas or furniture. This is not 
recommended. Though you may have only found a 
few in one area of the home, it is likely others 
are elsewhere. Since they like to live deep in 
carpeting, it is hard to find every place they 
may be residing.
   The most frustrating type of infestation is one
which is thought to be in a closet. Most clothes
which are found to have a hole or two chewed in
them are immediately diagnosed as having been
eaten by clothes moths. In fact, it is much
more likely the insect causing the damage is a
carpet beetle. Moth infestations are easy to
identify because you will find adult moths flying
around the clothing they are infesting. You will
readily find adult moths, pupa casing or cocoons 
and larva in your clothes. They tend to stay where
they are feeding. Carpet beetles are different.
Once the larva feeds, they will generally move
somewhere else to pupate. They won't move far,
but they usually won't stay in the clothes either.
This is important when treating.
   Controlling carpet beetle infestations can be
difficult. This is true for several reasons. 
First, they are likely to be active in small
areas but there are usually several such areas
throughout the home. Second, they tend to be active
in hidden areas. Unlike roaches, ants or flying
pests, carpet beetles feed and nest out of sight.
Though most pests learn to hide out of sight, 
they tend to feed where we are likely to see
them. Carpet beetle infestations are more likely
to be discovered because of the damage they do - 
not because large populations are being found.
Third, the cycle of the carpet beetle enables
them to have a built in defense mechanism against
treatments. Although larva and adults are easily
killed, eggs and pupa are not. When you treat,
it is likely you will kill adults and larva which
are active. However, eggs and pupa which hatch
after the residual treatment has worn off can
easily establish the population again. To stop
this from happening, it is important to treat
at least twice and in some cases as many as four
times. Though every case may have specific keys
to getting success, here are some guidelines for
treating:

1)  Be sure to treat all carpets. Though your main
carpeting may be synthetic, it can likely feed
carpet beetles. 
2)  Don't ignore area rugs. These are readily
infested since they are more likely to have more
natural fibers. Be sure to turn the edges up and
try to treat 2 feet in on the bottom side if not
the entire bottom. Larva will feel right at home 
under area rugs and if you see some on top, there 
are probably more on the bottom.
3)  Treat all fabric woven furniture. Be sure to
turn pieces upside down and get the bottom. If the
light fabric on the bottom is hanging low or is
torn, spray inside the piece. Larva and adults will
readily seek such places.
4)  Don't skimp on chemical applications. Because
carpet beetles tend to be deep in carpeting, it is
important to have the product penetrate. If you
disperse the amount necessary to treat a given
area over a larger area, it may not get down deep
where it needs to be. This will make the whole
treatment ineffective.
5)  Since eggs and pupa are impervious to the
chemical treatment, they will continue to live.
After 30 days, they may hatch and live as if
you never treated. This is why you must treat
at least twice.  Depending on the product
used, you may need to treat once every month for
4-6 months.  More about these options will 
detailed below.
6)  Clothing where infestations have been discovered
need to be inspected. Though you can spend a lot
of money laundering all your clothes, it is usually
not needed. Take a vacuum to all your clothes for
a quick and effective way to remove adults, larva,
eggs or pupa. Be sure to throw away badly infested
pieces.
7)  Do a thorough vacuum of the home before treating.
This helps because it will remove some of the beetles
as well as get them lifted up or moving where they
are active. Your treatment will prove to be more
effective if they are stirred up.

   The above guidelines are general and apply to most
situations. If you have a unique problem which may 
need some further preparation, be sure to call for 
suggestions. 
   Now that you have vacuumed and allowed for access
to furniture and closets, you are ready to treat.
Treatment is done with one of our SPRAYERS. Be sure to
use one which has a nozzle that sprays in a flat
fan. This means it comes out much like the way a
paint brush applies paint - in a pattern which is
uniform and constant. Nozzles which spray 
inconsistently will not allow the product to be
uniformly distributed over surfaces. This will lead
to areas not properly treated which will let the
carpet beetles live. 

Watch this short video to see what a "fan pattern"
looks like.



   There are several types of chemicals which
that can be used for carpet beetles. For mild
infestations, use PERMETHRIN. It has no odor, is easy
to mix and will last 2-4 weeks. This product is
the safest to use as it is used on pets and people
for other insect control. Another product which
will last longer is CYFLUTHRIN. This is a material 
which will last longer - about 4-6 weeks per treat-
ment - and will knock the population down quicker. 
Cyfluthrin is odorless and is effective for many
pests. You will need to do 2-3 treatments a month
with the Permethrin and monthly treatments with
the Cyfluthrin for most problems. Treat every month 
for at least two months to insure you have control
of the hatching eggs and pupa. Although most will
hatch in two months, they are able to live longer
and because of this, it may be necessary to treat
every month for 4-6 months to get complete control.
Every case is different. In general, two treatments
will resolve about 50% of the homes treated for
carpet beetles. 4-6 treatments are needed for the 
other 50% of the homes. This is why some pest control
companies will charge $500.00 to $1,000.00 to do
a job! It is very likely they will have to come
back to the home several times.
   Liquid sprays are ideally suited for large expansive
areas like open carpeting. But carpet beetles love to
nest inside furniture, up under the bottom spring set
and down under cushions. For these sensitive fabric
areas, liquid treating is generally too messy. Better
suited for the job is either a dust or aerosol. For
the underside of furniture, nothing beats a light dusting
with some DELTA DUST. This product is light and much
like baby powder. Use a CRUSADER to apply some up and
into the spaces and voids where carpet beetle larvae
love to forage. Dust treatments can last a long time,
maybe 6 months or more, and really work well when
used in certain locations. For the top side and exposed
sections of furniture, a light treatment with the
aerosol MULTIPURPOSE INSECT KILLER will help. It's
easy to apply, uses Permethrin as the active ingredient
and dries invisible when used properly. Excellent for
mattresses, chairs, couches, rugs and most any fabric
you don't want to dust or spray with a liquid.
   If you have a lot of adults hatching from
pupae following your treatments, install some of
our PHEROMONE TRAPS which work by attracting emerging
adults with special sexual lures. Adults which emerge
from pupae have one thing in mind: reproduction. These
traps have glue throughout their inside as well as
a pheromone which adult beetles cannot resist. They will
go to the lure thinking it is another adult, crawl or 
fly inside and get stuck in the glue. This will diminish 
the amount of active adults you have present which in 
turn will reduce the risk of future infestations in some 
other part of the home. These traps are particularly 
helpful if you are finding adults in some area of the 
home such as a light, a window or some expensive fabric 
which you want to be sure does not get infested. Set
a trap up in any area you have seen evidence
or any area where you want to keep from getting
activity. Inspect them once a week during the treatment
phases and if you find adults accumulating, be sure
to take necessary precautions to prevent any from 
laying eggs and starting a new infestation.
   Another product that can be added to the tank
mix when treating with any of the above adulticides
is INSECT GROWTH REGULATOR. This is a growth regulator 
which is labeled for many pests. When added to the 
tank mix for insect control, it will stop larva insects
from developing into adults. When added to the
tank mix for carpet beetles, it will work the
same. Since the above adult formulations only 
last about one month, adding  some of this growth
regulator will definitely enhance your treatment.
Growth Regulator lasts 3 months and helps to stop the
likelihood of reinfestation. Since you apply it
at the same time as the once a month product, just
add it to the tank mix for extra insurance. This 
extra protection is sometimes the difference in 
getting problem situations under control once
and for all.
   As stated above, it is important to use the
proper amount of product for the area being
treated. Be sure not to spread the chemical too
thin. Although carpet beetles can be a tough
and persistent pest, adulticides like Permethrin,
and Cyfluthrin can be used to kill existing beetle
populations. Since eggs and pupae will be hatching
in a month to three months following your first 
treatment, repeat the treatment to insure you
have gotten complete control. Add some Growth
Regulator to the mix for added protection and
better results.

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