There’s a saying, “Big things come in small packages,” same goes with small carpet beetles. But do carpet beetles bite? This varies on the types you have on your carpet.
But what causes carpet beetles? Actually, they come slipping through windows, doors, and sometimes while bringing your house plant inside.
People mainly get confused with carpet beetles and bed bugs but they are two different insects with distinct properties that crave to be your pets.
How To Recognize Carpet Beetles?
The fact that there are 3 main types of carpet beetles with their own distinct attributes makes it super easy to distinguish them.
However, there are other characteristics that are worth noticing in carpet beetles to distinguish them from the blood-sucking nightmare- bed bugs.
1. Size- Carpet beetles are slightly smaller in size as compared to bed bugs. However, carpet beetles are easily visible to the bare eye only if you are vigorously looking for them.
2. Wings– It becomes challenging to differentiate both on the basis of their shape as both insects are oval and flat, but carpet beetles have wings, whereas bed bugs are wingless insects.
3. Color- The third factor that is easily noticeable is their color. While bed bugs are dark brown and turn reddish after they guzzle on your blood. The color of carpet beetles usually depends on their species.
For instance, black carpet beetles have black shells, which make them easily detectable.
What is the life cycle of A Carpet Beetle And At What Stage Do Carpet Beetles Bite?
The process of metamorphosis is typical in every stage of carpet beetle. A carpet beetle has 4 phases in their life cycle and can take 2 months to a year to fully develop. These are the stages of the carpet beetle growth cycle:
1. Eggs
The life cycle starts with the female laying eggs. The species can lay eggs indoors, plagues birds’ nest, mice, and other insects. The number of these eggs varies according to the mating done near sources of light.
2. Larvae
Unlike eggs, the feeding process of the larvae takes place in a quiet area of your house, usually in a dark place. It takes 6 months to a year to transform the larvae into pupae.
3. Pupae
The pupae is the next step in the life cycle of a carpet beetle. They form a cocoon-like structure and begin their journey to change into an adult. It takes them 8 to 14 days to fully transform.
4. Adults
Young carpet beetles take 9 months to 2 years to fully develop into adults. Although adult carpet beetles emerge in spring or summer, they hardly survive a few weeks.
Adult carpet beetles don’t feed on fibers. The primary food source for adults is pollen and nectar from flowers or blooming plants, making them responsible only for mating and laying eggs.
The size of both larvae and adults is similar to that of a dime. Just like larvae of any other insect, carpet beetles are also hairy worms with 6 lanky legs, 2 antennae, and oval oval-shaped shell along with wings beneath the shell.
How do carpet beetles bite people?
Carpet Beetles don’t bite, but they can surely give you some severe allergies. They give you itchy rashes, which are often confused with bed bugs bite. Most of the causes of these rashes are due to the rushing of hair fibers against your skin.
At the same time, other reasons, like problems in your respiratory tract and irritating eye, can be caused due to their floating fibers in the air.
Do Carpet Beetles Travel With You?
Yes, they do travel with you.
They can either travel from home to home or just before you pack your bags and travel.
Mostly they travel through contaminated clothes and used furniture, curtains, and other home items, while other times, they travel by crawling.
However, only the larvae of carpet beetles travel with you because they love natural material that contains keratin.
On the other hand, adult carpet beetles don’t love the texture and fabric and prefer to stay feeding on plants, flowers, and pollen.
Symptoms of Carpet beetle bite
The symptoms of carpet beetle bite that you can look for are as follows:
1. Runny Nose
2. Red, Itchy, and watery eyes
3. Itchy skin
4. Rash- which may look like a bite and gives you a burning sensation.
5. Gastrointestinal issues
All these symptoms are caused by coming into contact with scraped skin of the carpet beetles. Although people become numb to these allergic reactions as time goes by, the best option is to get rid of these carpet beetles.
Where Do Carpet Beetles Hide?
Finding the places where carpet beetles can hide is very crucial before applying remedies to get rid of them. These are some potential places where carpet beetles can hide:
- Underneath Baseboards
- Under Carpet edges
- In and underneath the upholstery furniture
- Around door casing
- In materials such as carpets, rugs, slippers, blankets, and other soft substances.
Do Carpet Beetles Fly?
Carpet beetles have wings that allow them to fly right through your window and into the pantry and your closets.
They are especially active during the summer and spring seasons. And at night, they are attracted to the light in your homes. That is why it’s recommended to close the windows at night.
How to get rid of carpet beetles?
One way to get rid of these insects is to call a professional in the business, but what if we told you that you can totally get rid of these insects on your own, making “Do Carpet Beetles Bite?” out of your stress box (you can store other stress in it).
Remember: The larvae of beetles look similar to maggots, which are also harmful. So, it is also important to get maggots out of the carpet.
But before hitting the gas, find where these little creatures are nesting. These are some acids you can use:
1. Boric Acid
Sprinkle it lightly and evenly on your carpets. After waiting for a few hours, vacuum your carpet.
You can also sprinkle this acid using a spray bottle in the potential places where carpet beetles can hide like curtains and furniture.
2. Diatomaceous Earth
You don’t know, but you are using this acid in your daily life in toothpaste, skin care products, and even in food and beverages.
While diatomaceous earth is not poisonous to humans but it can cause a lot of problems for insects.
This is how it works- it absorbs the oils and fat from the cuticles of the insect’s exoskeleton, making them dry out and eventually die.
Pro tip- When using diatomaceous earth, always wear a mask to prevent inhaling the fine dust.
3. Washing them away
To get rid of carpet beetles in a painless way, wash the fabric using hot water or you can also freeze the fabric for up to 2 weeks. Always look for these creatures in folds and creases of fabrics.
4. Using Insecticides
When using insecticides, always follow the instructions and do not spray it on your bedding or clothing. Ensure that the insecticides are safe for indoor use.
Does Vinegar Kill Carpet Beetles?
Vinegar has so many uses outside the kitchen. It can be used as a disinfectant and a great solution to remove rigid stains from your carpet.
But does vinegar kill carpet beetles?
The answer is Yes. Due to its high-acidic properties, vinegar can get rid of carpet beetles in your carpet.
For more effective results, you can spray the solution on potential areas carpet beetle can enter your house, like, windows, doors, and crevices.
Spraying it directly on the carpet beetle will thoroughly neutralize and kill it on the spot.
However, if you are thinking of using apple cider vinegar for the purpose, then keep in mind that apple cider vinegar has a sweet smell that can attract fruit flies and other insects.
So, to kill carpet beetles effectively, we recommend using white vinegar.
What are the Other troubles generated by carpet beetles?
The adults lay eggs where larvae can have access to abundant food. They also feed on your fabrics along with feeding on food and animal products.
Some of their typical food sources are:
- Wool
- Silk
- Leather
- Fur
- Pet hair
- Feathers
The damage done by carpet beetle larvae can be expensive as they can leave holes in your fabric and damage furniture and carpets.
What tempts Carpet Beetles?
Here are some reasons that lure carpet beetles into your home:
1. They are drawn towards food, light, and animal products you store in your house.
2. Carpet Beetles and larvae are always hungry and are attracted by food.
3. The warmth in your house usually attracts them.
4. Some species are also attracted by plant-based items and seeds.
How Long Does Carpet Beetle Rash Last?
As we discussed earlier that carpet beetles don’t bite humans. However, their tiny hair, when brushed through your skin, will result in skin rashes.
These skin rashes are often confused with the rashes given by carpet moths.
The skin irritation caused by the brushing of tiny hair can be uncomfortable and painful and can also result in blisters.
These blisters are not permanent but get to improve within a week.
In order to treat the rash, don’t scratch it and get a prescription from the doctor. However, even after getting a prescription, people experience eczema and other skin conditions.
What are the Methods to prevent Carpet Beetles?
To prevent them from entering your home and damaging your beloved belonging, you can follow these few steps:
1. Before storing clothes for a long period of time, wash and dry clean them.
2. Removing dead insects, spider webs, and animal nests can also help you prevent them.
3. Use mothballs in your closet.
4. Always check for carpet beetles in your flower pots before bringing them inside.
5. Frequently clean your carpets, furniture, and air vents.
How to know if your carpet beetles or bed bugs?
The best way to know if you have carpet beetles or bed bugs is by looking for
1. Shed skins, as carpet beetles tend to shed their skins.
2. Holes in your clothes or curtains.
3. Rashes due to allergic reaction.
4. Infestation of eggs by adult carpet beetles on the window sill, flower pots, or pantry.
Conclusion
Many people have this question “Do carpet beetles bite?”. The answer is carpet beetles do not pose any harmful effects on humans; however, they can harshly damage your clothes, carpets, and furniture while also giving you some allergic reactions.
So, it’s best to either call a professional examiner or follow the above-mentioned steps to get rid of them. Also, use Bissell Carpet cleaner to eliminate the carpet bettles if they are on mattresses.
FAQ
What happens when carpet beetle bites?
Carpet beetles don’t bite but shed their skin and leave their hair which can give you an allergic reaction known as a rash. However, if you have sensitive skin those rashes may become large welts.
Do carpet beetles bite in bed?
Carpet beetle especially larvae are attracted to your bed linen and make it their forever home but unlike bed bugs, carpet beetle does not live on mattresses.
Do carpet beetles crawl on you at night?
Yes, carpet beetles larvae are attracted to the oils in the human body and can crawl on you at night to feed on those oils.
Daleyza knows a lot about carpets! She has worked with carpets for over 7 years and can help with things like putting them in, keeping them clean, and replacing them. She really likes carpets and spends most of her time learning about new ways to work with them. When she’s not learning about carpets, she enjoys reading books. She’s really good at helping people choose the right carpet for their homes and making sure they’re happy with it. If you want to know more about carpets, Daleyza is the person to talk to!