Carpet Beetles
The tricky thing about carpet beetles is that by the time you spot the fully-grown beetles in your home, the damage is already done. That’s why you have to learn to notice the signs early.
Key Facts
Can you see them? When fully grown, carpet beetles are small – about the size of an ant or a standard pencil eraser – but you can see them with the naked eye.
What do they look like? It depends on the stage of their life cycle. The easiest stages to identify them is when they are fully grown (when they look like mini beetles) and when they are larvae, during which time they look like caterpillars that are completely covered with tiny bristles.
Are they harmful? Carpet beetles don’t suck your blood or cause disease. They don’t even bite. But the larvae’s many bristly hairs can cause intense allergic reactions that look like bites. The main harm carpet beetles cause, though, is to your belongings as the larvae’s main food source is anything animal-derived, including wool, leather, felt, fur, silk, and feathers.
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