Tiny Bugs That Live In Carpet

Unfortunately the same cannot be said of their larvae.

Tiny bugs that live in carpet.

Contrary to popular belief carpet beetles do not just live in your carpet which means that you can have a problem with these pests even if you only have hardwood or tile floors. 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. Carpet beetles are covered in tiny hairs which are difficult to see unless you look at them under magnification. Bugs living in carpets cause skin irritations such as itching and breakouts.

Carpet beetle larvae are elongated and appear to be fuzzy or hairy. When a bug takes shelter inside a carpet it causes an infestation. The beetles themselves are oval shiny and black. Since the larvae shed their skins often you will often see their cast off skins which look like the live larvae.

They tend to live inside fabric furniture or deep inside carpets so look for damage to area rugs around the edges and to carpets along base boards. The larvae are often reddish or tan with short hairs. Carpet beetle larvae can eat holes in rugs curtains upholstery clothing and books. Most carpet beetles and beetle larvae found in our region are small and eighth of an inch or less.

They leave their molted skins behind so you might find small piles of fuzzy skins in infested pantries closets or drawers. Others such as fleas can lay 2 000 eggs weekly. Some female bugs such as bed bugs lay up to five eggs daily.