Carpet Eating Bugs Australia

The beetles live outside but will come inside to lay their eggs on juicy looking carpet any time of the year.

Carpet eating bugs australia.

It is the larvae of the beetle that are a common household pest. Why they like carpet. The larvae of the carpet beetle will eat wool carpet and wool rugs can eat lots of it and will permanently damage the carpet. Larvae hatch from eggs in the spring and early.

Adult beetles are 2 3 mm. Carpet beetles and carpet beetle larvae are similar in appearance to khapra beetle trogoderma granarium an exotic beetle which poses a quarantine threat to australia. Carpet beetles have a recognisable oval body with a shiny dark brown black colouring though their wings tend to vary with irregular patterns of white brown and dark yellow. Carpet beetles are found throughout australia and can handle lower humidity than clothes moths so are also found inland from the coast.

They range in size from 0 3 cm to 0 4 cm. How serious are carpet beetles. Synthetic materials typically used for rugs and carpeting include nylon polyester triexta and olefin. Khapra beetle has been detected and eradicated in australia in the past after being found inside packages which were stored in infested shipping containers.

Most carpet beetle damage results from larvae eating holes into natural fiber items like wool silk feathers dead insects and leather. For furniture synthetic options include acrylic. Woollen clothes insulation rugs and other items may be attacked and damaged. Carpets and rugs manufactured in australia from natural fibres are treated with insect resistant chemicals as are most of the imported products.

The larvae are bigger than the adults. Here s what you need to know. When carpet beetles mature into adults they feed on pollen instead of fabric items. They may eat through your clothes rugs and furniture.

The australian carpet beetle is a native member of a small but significant group of beetles family dermestidae that frequently invade homes and whose larvae feed on carpets and similar fabrics. The larvae do all the damage the adults only eat pollen. This is especially helpful for carpets rugs and furniture. However the concentration is not sufficient to kill the beetles their eggs or their larvae so it only acts as a deterrent.

Synthetic carpet is not attacked or damaged by carpet beetle grubs. The most common carpet beetles in new zealand are the varied carpet beetle anthrenus verbasci and the black carpet beetle attagenus unicolor. Adult carpet beetles don t eat carpet or upholstery as they prefer pollen and nectar. They can also sometimes cause an allergic reaction.

These immature pests also have bristly hairs that can irritate skin. Carpet beetle larvae will eat all manner of animal material including wool fur silk felt feathers and leather.