Identification, habits and tips for control of the Black Carpet Beetle, a beetle that falls into a group of pests known as fabric pests. This group includes different species of carpet or furniture beetles as well as clothes moths. Carpet beetles (a group that includes Varied Carpet Beetle, Black Carpet Beetle and Furniture Carpet Beetle) are believed to be responsible for more damage than clothes moths.

Fabric pests have one particular thing in common - they are household and warehouse pests that have the ability to digest keratin. As mentioned above, the group of beetles known as carpet beetles do more damage than clothes moths. Black Carpet Beetles are not only more common than other carpet beetles in the United States but they also do more damage than the others in its particular group.

As you can assume by its name, this beetle has a black color when it matures to its adult stage. Damage to materials can be blamed on the larval stage of this fabric pest. The Black Carpet Beetle larvae consume certain parts of dead animals including horns, hair, hide and fur. Known as general feeders these beetles are not strictly limited to eating only parts of dead animals. The other foods they prefer are what make them unwanted in our homes - grains, nuts, cereals and cotton products.

Control of the black carpet beetle involve four important steps. The first step in carpet beetle elimination is a thorough inspection of the entire structure. The larvae and pupal stages of this bug can often be found in little nooks and crevices where normal household dust, lint and debris gather. The best examples would be areas between carpets and baseboards as well as hidden areas of sofas and other upholstered furniture. Your next step is to thoroughly clean and vacuum any area where you have seen or suspect beetle infestations. These same areas will be treated in the last two steps of your beetle extermination program.
Any flooring or upholstered furniture suspected of harboring fabric pests should be sprayed with an odorless, non-staining indoor product that does not leave harmful residues for people or pets. We have had best results using Suspend SC when spraying for carpet beetles, clothes moths, fleas, ticks and other indoor pests. Suspend SC is one of the pest control items you will find in our Clothes Moth Kit. The Clothes Moth Kit contains everything needed to control clothes moths or carpet beetles.
The final step is just as important as the previous steps but is the one that most people tend to eliminate. The failure to implement this last tool usually means failure to control the pest. Any possible crack, crevice or seam in carpets, rugs, cushions and other parts of furniture should be treated with Drione Dust. This is an odorless product often used by professionals in the control of fabric pests, spiders, roaches, ants and ticks. Using a good bellows duster, apply small amounts of Drione Dust to the areas where your spray solution will not properly reach beetle larvae. This dust application is the final blow to the bug infestation that they cannot escape. For easy application of your product, use a Crusader bellows duster. This dust applicator is small enough to hold and operate with one hand and is not complicated to use.

All of the products mentioned are contained in the Clothes Moth Kit mentioned earlier in this article. This kit has enough product to control most pests (bugs, spiders, fleas, ticks, roaches, ants, carpenter ants, etc.) around your home for a long time. There are actually two clothes moth elimination kits to choose from.

Return to carpet beetles. Return to fabric pests. Return to clothes moths.

black carpet beetles