Carpet Beetle Bites & Carpet Damage

There are several pests that can make a habit of destroying your home. Carpenter bees will bore holes into your siding, termites will eat the house itself, and mice will rip apart your drywall and remodel your space to their liking. But what causes frayed edges on carpets, rugs, and fabrics? People often ask us if this damage is due to carpet beetles and carpet beetle bites. That’s a good guess but let’s talk about why you may need a second look.

The Usual Suspects

Suspect #1: Carpet Beetles

The obvious culprit for carpet beetle bites…carpet beetles. Right? Well, not so fast. Carpet beetles do eat carpet. Actually, more specifically their larvae do. They lay their eggs in natural fibers and the larvae will eat the fibers as they grow. They can cause patches that start off very small and quickly become much larger. A lesser pest control company might spot that damage on the rug and immediately treat it for carpet beetles—at Kapture we like to dig a little deeper. 

Suspect #2: Clothes Moths 

Clothes moths are known for inhabiting large closets with lots of clothes to feed on. They will lay their eggs on your nicest blouse or your favorite cotton sweats. Then their babies will hatch and eat and eat until your jeans are so ripped and patchy they begin to look like they were made that way!

But what if they aren’t living in that amazing closet of yours? What if the moths were hanging out in the main living spaces instead? And laying their eggs not on clothes but in that once beautiful rug. This begs the question “Are those marks made from carpet beetle bites or clothes moths?”

What Are Carpet Beetles?

Carpet beetles are small, oval-shaped insects that belong to the family Dermestidae. Adult beetles are typically 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch long and come in various colors including black, white, yellow, and brown. While the adult carpet beetles primarily feed on pollen and nectar outdoors, the larvae are the real problem inside your home.

Carpet beetle larvae feed on natural fibers like wool, silk, leather, and even pet hair. That means your carpets, clothing, upholstery, and blankets are all potential targets. So what do carpet beetle bites look like?

Recognizing Carpet Beetle Bites

Guess what? Carpet beetles don’t actually bite humans. However, the term “carpet beetle bites” is commonly used to describe the red, itchy, and rash-like reactions that some people develop after coming into contact with carpet beetle larvae or their tiny hairs.

These allergic reactions can mimic insect bites and are often mistaken for bed bug bites, flea bites, or skin conditions like eczema. The larvae’s bristly hairs can irritate sensitive skin, especially if they’ve infested bedding, upholstered furniture, or clothing.

What Does This Reaction Look Like?

These carpet beetle bumps are recognized by:

• small , itchy, red bumps
• Rash-like clusters on skin
• Welts that resemble bug bites

Getting Rid of Carpet Beetles

While neither carpet beetles nor clothes moths are very common in our area, they do happen. So it can help to know how to treat in the event your carpets are being consumed into oblivion or you see and feel that itchy carpet beetle rash.

Step 1 is to always wash your clothes, blankets, and all natural-fiber washable items in your space. We often get asked if we can treat clothes and other similar items. The good thing is this isn’t necessary. Like we mentioned in our fleas article—washing is enough to kill and remove all pests on your clothing, and EVEN if we did treat your clothes you would have to wash them again before wearing. So skip the hassle and just pop all those items in the washer. Wash with hot water, and run a cycle through the dryer—and you will be A-OK.

Once your items are treated, we will treat your space. With clothes moths this is usually the closet. Why? Well because even once all the clothes and personal items are removed, there are likely fallen eggs and larvae on the floor, walls, or in cracks and crevices.

Do we need to treat the entire house? Not always. If the moths are laying eggs in your closet or on this rug for example, then we know they are coming back to that area frequently. So we treat the area, eliminate the larvae, and the adults will expire as they return to the treated area. Now if you feel like your carpet beetle bites-like rash is originating when you sleep or in another area of your home, give us a call to inspect that area. We want to rule out the possibility of other infestations like bed-bugs and other potential culprits.

Carpet Beetles: Kapture to the Rescue

Even though carpet beetle bites aren’t really a thing, that doesn’t mean you’re imagining itchy, red welts or eaten-through carpets. Carpet beetles, clothes moths, and many other creepy-crawlies can still cause the things you’re experiencing. Our team at Kapture Pest Control is trained to know the difference and always ready and willing to help. We offer free phone consultations—always—and affordable quarterly maintenance plans customized to treat your home’s unique collection of pests. You don’t need to suffer or take months to figure out what’s happening in your home.

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