Carpet Beetles

Just when we took all the precautions for bed bugs a new indoor bug comes into the lime light... the carpet beetle also known as the flour or furniture beetle. These rather tiny beetles come in different shapes, colors and very in sizes.

These beetles will eat just about anything organic. For example, these bugs will eat your carpet, furniture, lint, hair, clothes, blankets, pet food, animal nests, leather, pollen from flowers, flour, grains and many more materials.

What do you need to do to get rid of these bugs?

• Go through your pantry and check flour and grains
• Check closets, drawers, storage boxes
• Check under carpets and area rugs
• Check your couches and chairs

Thoroughly vacuum (looking for a good one? Here's some tips on what to look for!) your home and wash all bed linens and clothing in hot soapy water. The next step is to have your carpet professionally steam cleaned; make sure you get a deep steam cleaning. It is sometimes useful to treat infested areas with insecticides to eliminate residual populations of carpet beetles. In nonfood areas household formulation of various pyrethroid insecticides can be used. Numerous products allow such use and contain as the active ingredient permethrin, bifenthrin, deltamethrin, tralomethrin and realted compounds. Use according to label directions and pay particular attention to treating baseboards, corners, edges of carpeting and other areas where lint and other debris accumulates that is fed on by carpet beetles. To keep them from coming back, make sure there is no hair and dust floating through your home. Thus you must keep up a cleaning regiment: vacuum often (at least 2 times a week), keep all flour products and grains in air tight containers. If you follow these steps, you should get rid of them and stay rid of them.