Food and sweat stains on fabrics can attract carpet beetles.
Carpet beetle bed bug husks.
If you ve found larvae it s carpet beetles.
Differences between bed bugs and carpet beetles.
Bed bugs on the other hand don t have larvae.
Search stored food containers and clean shelves with a mild household cleaner.
Carpet beetles like to live out of sight and feed on the natural fibers in fabrics even living off carpet fibers that are 90 percent synthetic.
However the carpet beetle is the smallest of the two and averages 1 8th of an inch in length while the bed bug is about 1 4th of an inch long.
Look for holes in clothes and fabric woven furniture to begin identifying these critters.
As the larvae grow they leave empty hairy cast skins or husks which are often the first sign of carpet beetle attack figure 7.
The carpet beetle and bed bug not only leave similar looking bites but there are other similarities.
Bed bugs don t have wings.
Treat spills and stains immediately as well.
Figure 7 cast skins of varied carpet beetle larvae the larvae will grow to 5mm long and are voracious feeders which will rapidly make holes in woollen textiles animal specimens fur and feathers.
Clean carpet beetle prone areas frequently.
Bed bugs and carpet beetles are both very small.
Vacuuming carpeting and washing your clothes and other fabrics frequently at least once every 2 or so weeks is the best way to prevent a carpet beetle infestation.
If you find the fuzzy carpet beetle larvae or their shed skins in kitchen cabinets or drawers then the infestation is probably in food storage pantry.