Carpet Eating Bugs Australia

However the concentration is not sufficient to kill the beetles their eggs or their larvae so it only acts as a deterrent.

Carpet eating bugs australia.

The larvae do all the damage the adults only eat pollen. They may eat through your clothes rugs and furniture. Woollen clothes insulation rugs and other items may be attacked and damaged. Synthetic materials typically used for rugs and carpeting include nylon polyester triexta and olefin.

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. The larvae are bigger than the adults. Carpet beetle larvae will eat all manner of animal material including wool fur silk felt feathers and leather.

Here s what you need to know. When carpet beetles mature into adults they feed on pollen instead of fabric items. Synthetic carpet is not attacked or damaged by carpet beetle grubs. For furniture synthetic options include acrylic.

They can also sometimes cause an allergic reaction. Most carpet beetle damage results from larvae eating holes into natural fiber items like wool silk feathers dead insects and leather. They range in size from 0 3 cm to 0 4 cm. Adult carpet beetles don t eat carpet or upholstery as they prefer pollen and nectar.

Why they like carpet. These immature pests also have bristly hairs that can irritate skin. Khapra beetle has been detected and eradicated in australia in the past after being found inside packages which were stored in infested shipping containers. Carpet beetles are found throughout australia and can handle lower humidity than clothes moths so are also found inland from the coast.

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. The beetles live outside but will come inside to lay their eggs on juicy looking carpet any time of the year. This is especially helpful for carpets rugs and furniture.

So it may not be just your carpet that is damaged by these fibre eating pests. Carpets and rugs manufactured in australia from natural fibres are treated with insect resistant chemicals as are most of the imported products. Carpet beetles can be an annoyance in your home. The most common carpet beetles in new zealand are the varied carpet beetle anthrenus verbasci and the black carpet beetle attagenus unicolor.

How serious are carpet beetles. It is the larvae of the beetle that are a common household pest.