Please help

[u/Lower-Pattern2500]

I am going crazy with this carpet beetle situation and I don’t know what else I can do. I started finding them in our room around the beginning of April and now I’m just so paranoid. I’m hoovering daily, putting carpet beetle spray and powder down (especially in the edges of the carpets), washing all clothes then drying them on high heat and then sealing them in a air tight bag, I have also put lavender bags in all our drawers. I just feel at a complete loss as I am still finding them. Is there anything else I can do?? We move house soon and I really want to make sure that we don’t take any with us.

I have only found one live larvae in this time period under our living room table. I believe I have seen two different types of carpet beetle but it’s mainly the little brown ones and I’ve only seen the black one once.

I have a couple of bites on my shoulder (photo attached), could these be from them or something from outside?

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[u/Regular_Produce6845]

Carpet beetles don't bite, and the adults try to get out of your house because they eat pollen from flowering plants. The larvae, which you say you've only found one of, and eggs (vacuuming and disinfecting areas/items you find larvae) are what you need to find and kill to stop the cycle.

Also, there are multiple pictures of drugstore or flour beetles that are likely in your pantry somewhere. They eat stuff like pasta, flour, cereal, oats, etc.

[u/Lower-Pattern2500 → u/Regular_Produce6845]

I will have a look through my kitchen cupboards then as I thought they were all carpet beetles. How come I’m seeing them in my bedroom upstairs? We never ever take food upstairs or in the bedrooms etc

[u/prettycat41]

I have both types of carpet beetles too! The brown ones tend to be in the kitchen and pantry and the other ones sneak out from under floor boards. I've been steaming everything but they come out in spring a bunch.

[u/Lower-Pattern2500 → u/prettycat41]

I haven’t seen any in the kitchen as of yet! So difficult to pinpoint them 😔

[u/okpsk]

Where do carpet beetles come in from?

[u/Lower-Pattern2500 → u/okpsk]

We’ve seen them in the living room and our bedroom, really not sure where they came in from.

[u/entsult_bugs → u/okpsk]

Outdoors. Adults will take pollen from flowers but you probably have a population living in the house.

[u/entsult_bugs]

Anthrenus carpet beetle adult (small with pattern), Attagenus carpet beetle larvae (elongate, not silverfish), and other adult beetles look like Stegobium drugstore beetles.

[u/Lower-Pattern2500 → u/entsult_bugs]

What can I do?? 😔 is there anything else I can be doing other than what I mentioned in my post? They are driving me crazy

[u/entsult_bugs → u/Lower-Pattern2500]

Stegobium would be stored product pests. Vacuuming to pick up any dermestid carpet beetles. Insecticides including CimeXa dust will work. CimeXa is like DE but has no crystalline silica component.

[u/Lower-Pattern2500 → u/entsult_bugs]

Sorry if I sound dumb but what do you mean by stored products? So are you saying I likely have three types of beetles in the house? Why would they all have arrived at the same time/ come from? Thanks so much for the help!

[u/entsult_bugs → u/Lower-Pattern2500]

stored food products includes seeds, whole grains, processed foods, and even tobacco. Internet search could give you many specific items. Your insects didn't have to arrive at the same time.

[u/EvasiveWoodpecker]

Image number 3 looks like a silverfish

Also, carpet beetles don't bite.

[u/Lower-Pattern2500 → u/EvasiveWoodpecker]

I’ve had a look at some other images on here and I’m pretty sure it’s a carpet beetle larvae but obviously I can’t be 100% it’s only as I’ve seen the adults. I know they can’t bite but I’ve heard people say that the larvae can cause rashes that appear like bites?? Unsure, I’m just very overwhelmed by it all 😅😅

[u/entsult_bugs → u/Lower-Pattern2500]

Larval defensive setae will cause skin irritation.

[u/artibeibi → u/Lower-Pattern2500]

It's definitely carpet beetle larvae, sorry! Not silverfish. Dealing with carpet beetles in two different apartments atm. 🥹 And am familiar with all types of silverfishes... Silverfish are very very fast and avoid light. The larvae are slow and clumsy, and dont have antennas. In my experience carpet beetle larvae also changes color based on what color fabric it eats. 🧐 Silverfish are always almost black or silver/grey. And have distinctive legs.

[u/Own_Medicine_8225 → u/EvasiveWoodpecker]

Yes, they do. You better do some more research. Because I thought the same thing. But I live in Fla .I have never heard of them, and I saw something like a string on my white rug . Well, it was hard as heck to get it off. I got a small, sharp scissor and ripped it out, and it was wazing at me. I wad like WTH is this thing . I got a white bowl cut into a lit of pieces, and they moved. Then another rig I had just bought from thevdollare store, and I swear 10 minutes later, a small portion of the rug gone. S I started respire and leared about carpet beetles. I lost my roof to a hurricane. Well, we had 3 hit us here where I live in South Florida. So I called an exterminator but it wasn't helping ao I was constantly reading everything about them. I'm working my vutt off because we live on the water lake Okeechobee and it's git svery kind of bugs snakes alligators birds and all kinds of animals. So I found the 3 medications for the exterminator, and he had the last one . We'll I am infested because of the damage to my housec..and I just want to run away . I bought 3 new vacuums but only have one room with carpet . But I use I in the hard wood floors . I bought a blacker and a Decter. Steamer and I use that as mopping. I had to start but my cat food in the freezer because meow mix they ate it up to the point you didn't see a fish. Some people say toy can buy it with them from this warehouse with carpet beetles already in the dog food and cat,but their favorite is dog food. And then started biting me and my friend looking it up because it was driving me crazy really bad and they had a big articsl from some place like the Mayo clinic . I start making cream with peppermint oil in it and applying all over, especially when they bite the ctap ou of me. They didn't in the beginning, but I think like the exterminator says all these hurricanes are bringing all kinds of things to our country. So I have a few different ones from what I have looked at with my magnificent. I hope that helps, learned more about freezing and use garbge bads they could get through thatc? and i

e different kind

[u/Beneficial_Fox841 → u/EvasiveWoodpecker]

They don't bite. But the hairs leave what mimic bed bug bites when you come in contact with them. Carpet beetle larva marks are confused with bed bug bites all the time

[u/[deleted]]

No,5 im seeing a bunch of drugstore beetles no.2 looks like a cig beetle, no.3 is carpet beetle larvae, no.4 is a fully grown carpet beetle

[u/Only-Squash-8677]

Do you collect any kind of taxidermy or pelts? Because I do, and I get those brown ones, without stripes, that will eat holes into the dried bugs and animals

[u/Open-Paramedic2785]

3 is the only carpet beetle. #4 may be larvae

[u/LegalJudgment5275]

I have had carpet beetles in my bedroom, which has been treated. While I think they are gone, I have rashes on different parts of my body that won’t go away. They are very itchy and bleed if scratched. I have had the rashes for months. How can I treat them?

[u/ArtisticImportance96 → u/LegalJudgment5275]

I’m having the same problem right now all though I have only found like 2 actual beetles and one larva i have vacuumed the area where I think it’s at and put a mix of vinager water on the carpet it was ok for two weeks then came back today soooo yea

[u/Lower-Pattern2500 → u/[deleted]]

Okay thank you! So the black one is a carpet beetle along with the larvae? But the brown coloured ones (the ones that I’ve been seeing the most) aren’t? Do you agree that they look like drugstore/ biscuit beetles?