Bugs That Look Like Carpet Beetles
Becoming a homeowner is an experience that welcomes many ups and downs. Whether you are just moving in or have lived in a home for years, at some point you will run into pests. You may or may not have carpet in your home, but you will have furniture, clothes, curtains, and other necessities that will attract a pest called the carpet beetle, along with other bugs that look like carpet beetles.
But first, what is a carpet beetle?
Carpet beetles are tiny little bugs that are highly attracted to fibrous materials such as carpets. While there are other bugs that look like carpet beetles, these little guys are oval-shaped and have a variety of colors of black, brown, yellow, and orange. They come inside homes to lay eggs so that once the eggs hatch, they have enough food to eat. Carpet beetle larvae eat a healthy portion of carpet fibers, clothing, furniture fibers, and even curtains. The larvae of a carpet beetle look extremely different from the adult with its furry appearance. Their larval stage is the only stage in which carpet beetles can be a health risk. This is due to the larvae having tiny hairs and the fact that they shed a lot can cause allergy issues in allergy-prone people. Carpet beetles and larvae do not eat household fibers alone; they also eat animal furs and can be found around animal bedding and cages. They can lay 100 eggs in one day, making infestations possible and unwanted.
Carpet beetles are not harmful to humans but can do a number on a home if left unchecked. They can’t bite you or spread diseases (other than allergies) but they cause damage to the things that you have spent hard earned money on. Soon, you will start to notice holes forming in your carpet and on your furniture. Clothing items, especially ones that are stored in containers, will have holes in them as well.
Is this really a carpet beetle?
It’s true that carpet beetles come in several different types, varied by color, but their shape, eating habits, and breeding habits are all the same. With carpet beetles being tiny, oval-shaped creatures, it’s only natural they could be mistaken for other pests. There are many bugs that look like carpet beetles.
Ladybugs
Ladybugs are at the top for carpet beetle look-a-likes. They are tiny with an oval-shaped body and they are no stranger to coming inside your house. The color of ladybugs varies as well and can definitely leave you wondering, “Is this really a carpet beetle?”
Bedbugs
Bedbugs are not the type of experience you want to face in the comforts of your home. They are teeny-tiny black or brown insects that love your mattress as much as you do. These look-alikes also love to nestle in your clothing. Bedbugs can are one of those bugs that look like a carpet beetle when noticed on your bedding or clothes, but they are a totally different insect from the carpet beetle.
Fleas
Fleas are tiny and black and can be easily spotted around animal bedding or anywhere your animal is allowed to roam indoors. Noticing a flea moving around can look like a carpet beetle but a distinguishing factor is that fleas will jump around and carpet beetles will not.
Ticks
Ticks, especially the species of soft ticks, are one of those bugs that look like carpet beetles. Brown carpet beetles and soft ticks look almost identical and can be very hard to determine which is which.
Baby cockroaches
Baby cockroaches are constantly mistaken for carpet beetles. They look identical at this stage but the mistake can be a costly one because a cockroach infestation can lead to health risks since they can spread illness around your home.
Colorado Potato Beetle
The Colorado potato beetle closely resembles carpet beetles in size, color, and shape. The difference is that the Colorado potato beetle has distinct stripes on the back, whereas carpet beetles do not have stripes. Colorado potato beetles also prefer outdoors instead of indoors and can be found on potato plants.
Treatment Methods
Unless you are a bug enthusiast, identifying carpet beetles can be hard. A single look can range from a true carpet beetle to a whole other insect species and some of those can come with bigger risks. Bed bugs, ticks, and cockroaches are other insects are all bugs that look like carpet beetles but actually can be more harmful if left unattended. These other bugs can cause serious health risks and should be properly identified and treated. Several treatment methods can be applied but the overall treatment is consistently vacuuming your home. Carpet beetles and other tiny insects can be easily vacuumed up on carpet and furniture surfaces. Vacuuming with the hose in corners and window seals will help take care of any carpet beetle breeding areas by sucking up the eggs.
Washing clothes, bedding, curtains, and even your child’s stuffed animals on a regular basis will cut back on carpet beetles. Washing regularly will also help preserve your items from being damaged with holes by carpet beetles appetite. Overall cleanliness of your home on a consistent basis can be a manageable solution for carpet beetles.
If things are out of hand and you really don’t know what you are dealing with, it is always best to consult with a professional. Kapture Pest Control is local and family owned and we are always happy to come by your home to take a look at pests to help identify if it’s carpet beetles or bugs that look like carpet beetles but are another type of insect infestation. We have solutions that we can apply to help rid your home of carpet beetles and can even treat areas that may be hard to reach. The solutions we use at Kapture Pest Control are eco-friendly and safe to use indoors so you don’t have to worry about your family or animals. Give Kapture a call when you need help identifying pests and carpet beetles and we will work with you on coming up with a plan just for your home.
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