Carpet beetles hide in fabric and any clothing that is made out of animal products because of keratin. Keratin is an animal protein found in any animal product like wool, feather, silk, or pure leather.
Carpet beetles hide in upholstery because fabrics contain keratin which they feed on. After their eggs are hatched, the larvae will also need the proteins found in keratin for survival. They can be found hiding in old rags, carpet cracks, and furniture joints that are never washed or cleaned.
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8 Places carpet beetles hide in at home
To get rid of carpet beetles, you will need to take time and identify their hideouts. This will help you to remove them fast without wasting pesticides on areas where they are present. Here are 8 places where carpet beetles hide to lay eggs and breed in your home:
1. Fluffy Carpets
Carpet beetles have mastered the art of hiding and blending in carpets such that you can never easily see them.
If you have a thick fluffy carpet, they will find their way to the base. This is an ideal place for them to hide and lay eggs. They will also comfortably breed down there because it is warm and moist enough for them to survive.
Even if you sweep, it is almost impossible to get rid of their eggs since they are at the base. This will leave you with soaking the carpet with the right pesticide as the only option of killing them.
2. Cracks
Carpet beetles also hide in any cracks that are there in old carpets. They will squeeze their eggs into those cracks and vents even in your seats.
If you have old leather seats that are made of pure leather, then this is a perfect hiding place for beetles. Old seats will definitely have cracks that will provide a nice warm hiding place for their eggs as well.
You will either do a serious cleaning with pesticides or simply just get rid of those old seats to keep them away from home.
3. Animal Shades
Carpet beetles will also hide around any domestic animal shades that are hairy. They will find the joints and cracks on those shades to hide and lay eggs. This is because there will be a lot of food for them in those areas.
If there you keep animals in your back yard, the adult carpet beetles are capable of flying into your house through any opening and they will settle on your seats or carpet in the living room.
Vacuuming your living room can also help you in getting rid of hidden carpet beetle eggs in your living room or the house in general.
4. Under the seats, cup boards and cabinets
Carpet beetles do not like light and they tend to hide in dark warm areas. If you have already removed your carpet and you still have traces of them, you may check under your seats, cupboards, and cabinets.
This provide a good hideout for them to breed and lay eggs. Concentrate on checking the joints under your furniture and you will definitely find then hiding there.
If there are holes under your seats, they will be hiding in there. You may have to get those seats outside for a thorough cleaning and spraying.
Carpet beetles also feed on dead insects and those will be definitely present under your seats and cabinets especially if you never clean down there. This makes those areas a good hiding place for them because they will have all they need in terms of food and shelter.
5. Bedrooms
Carpets beetles love hiding in bedrooms because there are definitely lots of fabric in there for them to feed on.
They will go for the joints and also hide under the bed. You will also find them hiding in the dark corners, cracks, and joints of your wooden cloth wardrobes.
They will also hide in clothes that you rarely put on because they will be warm, dusty, and free from disturbance. Even if you do not use some clothes, you should always try and wash them once in a while so that they are kept clean and free from carpet beetle eggs.
6. Curtains
Your curtains could be another source of carpet beetles especially if they are old and are never washed. They will hide along the curtain edge and lay their eggs there. They will also thrive there because they will be feeding on the fabric.
Their larvae will also have readily available food when they are hatched because they will feed on the fabric especially if it is made of animal products like silk.
Your curtains can make a good hiding place for carpet beetles and you may need to wash them at least once a month. You can also add baking soda to kill carpet beetles‘ eggs and larvae in your final rinse.
They are also found in curtains because they fly in through the windows and the curtains are the first readily available place to hang on before they find their perfect hiding place. Many of those carpet beetles will simply crawl to the edges and make themselves comfortable.
7. Upholstered Furniture and Walls
Another favorite place for carpet beetles to hide and lay eggs is any old upholstered house items. Upholstered furniture or wall simply means that they are covered with textiles for beauty.
Some people love items covered in fabrics or textiles and as those items grow old, their decaying nature will definitely be an attraction to carpet beetles and other stubborn house pests. This is because the soft fabric is easy to feed on while it traps hay and dust that will provide a good and perfect environment for the beetles to lay eggs at home.
8. Furniture joints
When you buy any used furniture that is infected with carpet beetles, they will definitely begin to spread in other areas of your house.
Carpet beetles will hide in furniture joints especially below the backrest where it is joined to what you seat on.
How do carpet beetle eggs look like
If you check this specific joint, you will see the eggs if you are keen enough. The eggs are always whitish in color and you should be able to see their projections since they are oval in shape.
In some cases, the carpet beetle eggs may appear to be cream or light brown because of the dust that covers them.
This is where most carpet beetles hide and lay their eggs in old seats because many people never bother to check those joints.
Another perfect breeding area is the joints around the seat’s arms. You need to clean those joints and use natural insect repellents especially if you have seats covered in fabrics.
You can also look for the best upholstery that carpet beetles cannot feed on or simply find solutions for bugs that eat clothing and keeping the fabrics clean and neat.
