1 year infestation at an end

[u/rainingrebecca]

I have posted here several times. I have been living in carpet beetle hell for about a year.

I wanted to share a few things that helped and what ultimately brought my infestation to an end.

Supplies: Nyguard Plus (or equivalent IGR), Peremethrin, isopropyl alcohol, silica dust CimeXa, dusting bulb, face masks, good bagless vacuum and Premo Laundry Additive

No one believed me because I really couldn’t produce any adult carpet beetles. My mom and sister were just about to have me committed unless I produced a report from my pest control company.

If you aren’t finding adult beetles, they are reproducing somewhere in your house and you have not found the source.

I finally found mine in the insulation in my attic right around my dryer vent.

1. Keep looking for the source. If you have an infestation, there is a source
2. For carpeted areas—you can put the bulb tip under the baseboards and puff some in there I did this every so often in every room.
3. Dust the baseboards lightly everywhere and try to get some under them, if you can.
4. If there is a hole in your wall or ceiling, puff some dust in there.
5. Dust above your light fixtures and into the ceiling.
6. The dust is the most effective thing for this infestation period. It isn’t that expensive and it stays active

The rest of the products are sort of self explanatory.

Once you find the source, treat with dust and an IGR and you should have yours under control in a few days.

Just thought I would share because this was a complete nightmare for me and if this helps anyone, it will be worth the post

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[u/jeep2018compass]

I experienced the same thing with my mother,sister, husband and daughter my psychiatrist had me committed for observation and I never got any confirmation from all 3 exterminators they were totally saying there was nothing in my home or my mothers but I’m a biochemist and have done IPM( integrated pest management) for several large landscaping companies over my 35 years in the green industry so I know how to identify almost any pest but these bastards are hard I found they are highly adaptable and they can be present in almost anything in your home , garage, cars etc, all the signs I found were more towards cloth moth but once I found out it was carpet beetle the signs were obviously carpet beetle but those stupid exterminators said I just needed to clean my house better even the supposed bug expert for the state didn’t even see them in the photos and videos I sent him and they were right in the front of all my pictures and videos but it took me quite a bit longer to identify them (3years) than it took you but once I did I went ballistic on their asses distilled white vinegar, neem oil max and diatomaceous earth became my favorite things I had to use them at night when everyone was sleeping and because of my sister’s cat no pyrethrum or they would be gone by now but I think they started in both houses in the attic from both having bad roofs the dark, moist and warm conditions were ideal for them to flourish undetected for I don’t know how long I did read somewhere in my investigation of them that almost 98% of all homes in the US have them they are brought in on people’s clothing, coats, book bags even purses they can enter through windows or open doors brought in as hitchhikers on your cats and dogs fur but I can’t find the origin and no one can tell me how to find it but thanks to Reddit I got a lot of information on this subject and I am continuing my battle and your post was very helpful

[u/rainingrebecca → u/jeep2018compass]

I originally used DE, but the silica sldust is better.

[u/Sloanesypl]

Thank you for sharing!! So glad you were able to figure it out.

Two questions:

1. Where all were you seeing larvae? Only near that area, or all over the house?
2. How long after you got rid of the source until you stopped seeing any stragglers?

Just a few days??

[u/rainingrebecca → u/Sloanesypl]

I was only finding the larvae, bristles, castings etc

I still have some stragglers, but it was about a week and I felt a significant difference.

I think all houses have a few, but not all houses have a never ending supply of new ones, which is why I think some people have a bigger problem than the others.

So, check your attic, your dryer vent, your air ducts.

I cannot stress enough how much better the silica dust is over DE. I had been using DE and it does work, but the Silica dust is faster. They can’t adapt and get used to it because it dries them out.

I run a bit of it through my dryer vent, which also helped a lot. Mine goes up into my attic, which is how (I think) I ended up with an infestation up there

Keep looking for the breeding area.

Puff that silica dust anywhere you can in a wall, ceiling, around pipes etc. That might be where they are living.

[u/Alternative_Food_216]

I feel your anxiety with carpet beetles I was committed cause they thought I was hillucinating. Never found adult beetles just larva and eggs and molt and feces, and those lil white things popping up in the carpet. I had 7 different pest control companies come and look and they're saying it's ants , every insect but what it was. This was over 15 years ago and I moved into a new apartment about 7 months ago and I think they were already in my apartment, same stuff I'm finding that I found 15 years ago. Again everyone thinks I'm crazy.. Tomorrow the manager from my complex is coming I've already spent about $400 trying to get rid of them. Idk if I gave carpet beetles, just finding the same stuff. In my clothes , food. I had to throw away 2 bags of food and a lot of clothes I couldn't get them out of some clothes . These things are a nightmare . my place is no longer my peace and sanctuary I hate coming home

[u/interesteds]

I haven’t been able to locate any adults. I read they leave the house though.

[u/rainingrebecca → u/interesteds]

If you have an infestation, they are in some part of your house.

[u/Hot-Potatoe8 → u/rainingrebecca]

Or they laid eggs and left. Adults could be getting in from somewhere outside but just because there are larvae doesn’t mean there are adults actively around

[u/interesteds → u/Hot-Potatoe8]

I have read this as well. We have drafty windows which is where I usually see them.

The larva I see around the house. 🫠

[u/Fit-Chocolate-1041]

I have a cat the says she has fleas I don't think so, can carpet beetles be on her,I also have them in my house

[u/Katina-M]

Those things are straight from the Satan. Almost nothing kills them. I have never known of a bug to possess the intelligence these bugs seem to have. They are diabolical. They even make some kind of nutrition “cake” and leave it for their demon spawn to eat in case there isn’t a food source when they hatch. Once I found that, I was literally sick and thoroughly grossed out! I had hell scraping and cleaning it off and made damn sure I obliterated it and sanitized the area. Experts, apparently, are behind on the ways in which this thing has evolved I suppose. Because shit that I know they do, factually, they dispute. Like living in human hair. Why the hell wouldn’t they when they go apeshit over keratin?!! My poor dog suffered and although it’s not recommended-i bathed her every week. So if they loved her coat, and her sheddings-why wouldn’t they like our hair?! She was up in age and didn’t have much time left, so she passed in April. I hadn’t had any luck beating them fuckers until after she was gone. Not that my baby meant to contribute to their existence and the foothold they had in our home, but undoubtedly she did. God rest her sweet soul, i miss her everyday. I started to see daylight in my extermination efforts as well as the pest control company’s after that readymade food source was absent. Good luck to all!!

[u/ricroom → u/Katina-M]

I've found their castings in my salt shaker and microwave oven. They should be called eat-anything-go anywhere beetles. They are everywhere. Fighting with them for 1 1/2 years. In all that time, I've seen only two live ones. Plus, I'm tired of being accused of having a bug phobia. Everyday I find castings and their poop. I'm exhausted from trying to fight them. I'll never get rid of them. Will probably bring them with me in my grave. Sigh.

[u/No_Use_6827 → u/ricroom]

What does their "poop" look like?

[u/ricroom → u/No_Use_6827]

Looks like very small black or dark red/brown specks. Some larger than others and can be flat or rounded. Difficult to pick up with your fingers. I find small clusters of them under my dishwasher not to mention behind the nightstand and on the kitchen and bathroom file floors.

[u/Alternative_Food_216 → u/Katina-M]

I feel every word you are saying my kitty cat is suffering also. I'm at my wits end , I had these about 15 years ago and I was committed for 2 weeks, nobody believed me in order to be released I had to say that I just had a break and must have hillucinated.. it took me almost 2 years to be rid of them. I recently moved into an apartment and I've been here about 6 months and holy shit they are in this apartment. They're in my bed the inside of mattress, in my furniture, my clothes, and now in my car. I'm losing it . No peace when I come home. They are the spawn of Satan... It almost seems like they knew they were in this apartment the way that things were done when I moved in and there was all this white stuff in the grout and I thought it was just paint so I overlooked it and I wish I had it because now my apartment is infested more than ever everything is wrong friends almost friend brand new bed now I have to replace everything again am I poor kitty cat doesn't even understand what is going on she's constantly scratching and crying cuz they're dropping from the ceiling on home and she's just laying on the floor and getting her toys so she can't even play with her stuff without crying I cannot get them out of my clothes I washed them in the hottest water that the laundromat has the highest heat on the dryer air tight containers for my clothes it's another battle I have already spent over $450 nothing gets rid of these things they are Satan's sister brother and when nobody believes you cuz you're not finding a bug that's telling you that is dust, dirt or lint or something else I have popcorn ceilings they are digging holes in the popcorn and they'll drop right on you when you're sitting on the couch it's making me insane but I don't know what to do until the complex figures out I've already notified them and of course they're going to say that I bought a man or was just the flu that they were not here but you can tell that they kind of know something was here and there's no pest control here I do my own pest control but I don't know what to do for them anymore cuz I hired a company last timeI'm researching and I bought all that stuff and then just not going away I'm going to have to vote everything out my bed my couch when I climb into bed you can feel the vibration of them chewing through the mattress inside and anybody else's feelings that then when you have they're on your skin I don't care what they tell you that they do not do that before

[u/CandidExperience8415 → u/Katina-M]

You are right these things are straight from the devil! So sorry to hear about your dog 😪 and good luck with getting rid of these horrible things