What Carpet Beetles Eat

Typically they like to feed off of animal based products.

What carpet beetles eat.

You ll be able see damage on bed sheets linens clothing drapes and of course carpet. Common carpet beetles that eat clothes are the variegated black and common carpet beetles. You may occasionally find carpet beetles in your pantry feeding on grains. Additionally carpet beetle larvae leave cast skins while molting which may cause allergic reactions and dermatitis in some highly sensitive individuals.

They all are destructive towards fibers and only differ slightly in their appearance and lifecycle. Obviously carpet beetles will also eat through the fabrics in your home. These beetles may also eat synthetic fabrics if they are soiled with food or oils. However carpet beetles tend to eat a single large area of a fabric whereas moths create tiny holes all over garments.

And almost anything else they might encounter. Carpet beetles can also thrive on lint hair and debris accumulating under baseboards and inside floor vents and ducts. Carpet beetles have a wide variety of things that they eat and interestingly enough sometimes they won t even eat carpet. Verbasci was also the first insect to be shown to have an.

These are solid or splotchy black with specks of white tan and yellow. Clothing furniture wool sisal jute carpets leather blankets pet food pet hair crumbs dead insects. Carpet beetles can actually eat any animal product that comes into its contact. Unlike moths carpet beetles typically feed on one portion of fabric at a time.

They love to eat away the material that carpets are made out of i e. The pests can also proliferate on bird nests animal carcasses and dead insects cluster flies lady beetles stink bugs wasps etc which tend to be associated with attics chimneys basements and light fixtures. Their feeding creates large isolated holes in the fabric. Unlike other species like wood beetles that only eat wood carpet beetles will eat almost anything.

Carpet beetles are found in almost every part of the world however they are basically european based. Today s carpet is made from synthetic materials that carpet beetles won t eat. For example fur feathers wool silk leather and bed. Carpet beetles are the most dangerous type of beetle to most homeowners.