How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles (4 Easy Steps)

In this video, we will show you how you can get rid of carpet beetles in your house with professional-grade products and tips you can use at home.

Shop for Flex 10-10 Insecticide here!

Shop for D-fense Dust here!

Shop for Catchmaster 72MB Glue Boards here!

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IDENTIFICATION: 0:33
INSPECTION: 2:22
TREATMENT: 3:29
PREVENTION: 6:20

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Carpet beetles grow as large as 8 millimeters as larvae, and end up about 5 millimeters long when they reach adulthood. Adult beetles are oval-shaped, and their markings can vary depending on species, but generally, you’ll find varied and common carpet beetles with black, white, brown, orange, or even greenish looking patches. Black carpet beetles will have a solid black color. As larvae, they subsist off a diet of keratin and chitin, which can be found in non-synthetic fabrics, furs, feathers, or leather. They have color-banded bodies with contrasting colors, usually white or a light brown and a darker brown. Their bodies are covered in hairs. Black carpet beetle larvae don’t have any hair, and they’re a more solid brown or black color.

People may confuse carpet beetles and bed bugs because of their similar appearance or the skin irritations beetle larvae cause. You can tell the difference between a bed bug and carpet beetle by comparing their physical appearances and behaviors.

To make sure you're dealing with carpet beetles, check your home for adult carpet beetles and their larvae. Adult carpet beetles are attracted to pollen, and seek out sources of fabric for their larvae to feed on. Carpet beetle larvae are light-sensitive, so you’ll find them in enclosed spaces, like closets or drawers. You may also find them underneath or at the edge of carpeting along baseboards. Adult carpet beetles are attracted to light, so you may find them on windows or window sills.

Once you’ve found signs of any beetles or larvae, prepare your space for treatment.

Vacuum your floors and other areas like rugs, curtains, and furniture. Be sure to vacuum along the floorboards and other tighter spaces. Wash all fabrics with detergent, then dry them on high heat. If you have anything that can’t be washed, like silk, place them directly in the dryer. Wipe down solid surfaces with soap and water. Clean windows and window sills, shelves, inside of drawers, desks, and tables.

Once you’ve finished cleaning, you can start treatment. Put on your Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, and keep people and pets away from treated areas until dry.

You’ll use an insecticide like Flex 10-10 to kill and prevent carpet beetles inside your home.
Flex 10-10 is a safe, easy-to-use Permethrin insecticide that can be applied indoors and outdoors to control a wide variety of insects. Along with carpet beetles, Flex 10-10 can also treat ticks, bed bugs, mosquitoes, and other insects.

To treat carpet beetles indoors, use a 1 gallon hand pump sprayer. Mix 3.2 fluid ounces of Flex 10-10 with one gallon of water. For a severe infestation, you can use the higher rate of 6.4 fluid ounces per gallon of water.

Apply Flex 10-10 along the baseboards and the edge of carpeting. Use a fan tip with light to medium pressure to moderately wet the areas, rather than soaking them. Be sure to also spray windows and window sills, shelving, drawers, closets, any cracks and crevices, and any other spots where you’ve seen carpet beetle activity.

Once your Flex 10-10 application has dried, treat gaps, holes, and other hiding places with D-Fense Dust. D-Fense Dust is a dry, insecticidal dust that can be applied to voids, cracks and crevices to treat carpet beetles and many other crawling pests. Apply D-Fense Dust at the edge of carpeting, alongside baseboards where you’ve seen Carpet Beetle activity. You may also apply dust to any hard-surfaced crack or crevice where Carpet Beetles could be hiding.

Once you’ve treated your home for carpet beetles, you’ll take preventative measures to stop any future infestations from happening. First, keep up with regular vacuuming, laundering, and cleaning. Next, seal up any possible openings that carpet beetles can use to get indoors. Monitor insect activity with Catchmaster 72MB Glue Boards. These glue boards will catch any pest that makes contact with the adhesive, so place these along pest entry points or in closets to see when insect activity is climbing. Finally, be sure to reapply Flex 10-10 once every month for round-the-clock control.

Visit our website to learn more about Carpet Beetle Control and shop for pro-grade products!

Thanks for watching!

#diypestcontrol #solutionspestandlawn #carpetbeetles

[jesserperalter]

kept pausing through out the video cus i feel like they're on me. im so mad i never had this problem before!

[Jay-Tee]

I notice spiders show up to eat these things then they both disappear for awhile as much as I don't like spiders I appreciate their service

[Sathasiless]

I've seen them around my bed for YEARS. A few weeks ago I finally decided to deal with it since I had been finding multiple adult beetles in my bed every day. I washed everything on the bed, even taking apart the frame, and vacuuming all the gaps underneath. I still occasionally find one somewhere, but it's nowhere near as bad. I'll probably tackle different areas of my room to see if I can get rid of more. I can't imagine them being in my drawers with clothes, but if they are O.O.

[jackiem]

This is really messed up. I kept seeing these around my bedroom until it kept happening more frequently. I finally found this video today and found them around the base of the walls. I can't find the source of it though. This is so disgusting and things like this freaks me out. I'm going to clean everything and vacuum. I might even get my rug professionally deep cleaned or rent the rug doctor. Ughhh this is so stressful! I am going to sleep on the couch tonight :(

[nonyabusiness]

my whole apartment is carpets. I saw one on my couch just now and two on the wall the other day. I have a cat & dog and they shed a lot. I vacuum often but omg I’m going to go cry and puke 🤮 😭

[PirateOfTheNorth]

I kept finding them around the house and wondered where they come from. Moved my sofa away from the wall and found hundreds of larvae 😕

[claytonnlambert]

Anyone dealing with this, please CHECK YOUR DISHWASHER! Pull it out from the cabinet, almost all dishwashers have a thick cotton sheet that goes around it for insulation.

[DorianTMChannel]

I found one of the larva on my wall a couple years ago and didn't see anything else since then, but now I have seen 3 adults on my bed over the span of a week.

[truclytinhYT]

BRUH WHERE THE FUCKK ARE THEY WHY DO THEY KEEP PLAYIFJ HIDE AND SEEK

[DisneyAndSpiritLover]

These things are so annoying. They're showing up in the bedrooms but we can't find the source of where they're coming from. I got rid of the ones in my room for a month but now they're back!

[KaiserX]

The area they breed is under and beneath your windows make sure to use soapy hot water and when dry spray vinegar and have lavender near the windows

[TaylorLouise]

There were loads when I moved into my house last August, it was left empty for months. Thought I got rid of them all but I've only seen about 10 adults over the past month. Feel like all I ever do is clean! 😆

[nova]

Start at 3:30 if you just want to get to the treatment

[AEJS]

I found over 6 larva in my bedroom today, most were dead but i did find a couple of live ones. I have no idea how they couldve gotten in, but i have a weird feeling they might be in other rooms. I have alot of blankets and pillows and other soft or fuzzy things in my room, im worried those things will damage my more treasured items, like clothing or my mattress. Im currently freaking out and can "feel" them walking up my legs and arms even though They’re not there.

After reading some of the comments i am now scared to sleep 😭

[rcinematic]

Good news, I don’t have bedbugs. Bad news, they’re carpet beetles lol

[AlsoMeowskivich]

how can one find the source of the carpet beetles? I notice them very periodically. like maybe one a week or two. the only time I've found them in something was when one ate a little groove out of some upholstery foam.

[cookiejar]

Thank you! Your video helped me locate the infestation, which was inside an old sofa. Got rid of the whole thing

[kjstarr]

Spend under 7 bucks on a gallon of APPLE CIDER VINEGAR .I started seeing them on my couch like one or two. Then 3 at a time... I came straight to You Tube I cleaned as directed and then only seen one in two days. I discovered they were coming in through the windowsill in my apartment. there were several there trying march on in. I sprayed my couch, carpet and window and back door all around. Those caught in the cross-fired died and those that saw me coming retracted and I'm not sure they lived to talk about it. My landlord said the pest control couldn't come until 4/5/23. I notified her on 3/30. If it wasn't for the vinegar, I would have broken my lease that I just signed and left like a thief in the night No discoloration or damage after my 3-day treatment. I still have 3 days to wait for help, so I put a vinegar soaked rag in the windowsill and sprayed the window frame from top to bottom. All I see is dead beetles and I took pictures. I know If they're coming in mine they have got to be in other units. There's even a dead fly so I now pests are trying to come the same way. I'm still getting rid of my couch. I'm not bringing anything in there until they seal this place up.

[davinagibson]

Ahh! After years of seeing these at a relative's property, and now seeing them in mine for over a year, I finally know what they actually are..! Thing is, I don't have rugs or carpets, but have noticed holes in my pj's, and have seen the little beetles on my clothes. I never knew what they were; I used to call them "tiny ladybird looking speckled things". Had one crawling on my Bible today so that's when I'd had enough n thought I'd investigate - you mess with my Bible; you messin' with me. I think I'll try the vinegar thing that's been mentioned a few times..

[JamesGalaxy]

I just found one on my curtain ive never seen these before