Carpet Eating Bugs Australia

The most common carpet beetles in new zealand are the varied carpet beetle anthrenus verbasci and the black carpet beetle attagenus unicolor.

Carpet eating bugs australia.

When carpet beetles mature into adults they feed on pollen instead of fabric items. 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 and carpet beetle larvae are similar in appearance to khapra beetle trogoderma granarium an exotic beetle which poses a quarantine threat to australia. It is the larvae of the beetle that are a common household pest.

Larvae hatch from eggs in the spring and early. They may eat through your clothes rugs and furniture. Carpet beetles can be an annoyance in your home. Why they like carpet.

Here s what you need to know. Carpet beetles are found throughout australia and can handle lower humidity than clothes moths so are also found inland from the coast. So it may not be just your carpet that is damaged by these fibre eating pests. Adult beetles are 2 3 mm.

Woollen clothes insulation rugs and other items may be attacked and damaged. The larvae of the carpet beetle will eat wool carpet and wool rugs can eat lots of it and will permanently damage the carpet. This is especially helpful for carpets rugs and furniture. 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. Synthetic carpet is not attacked or damaged by carpet beetle grubs. The beetles live outside but will come inside to lay their eggs on juicy looking carpet any time of the year. These immature pests also have bristly hairs that can irritate skin.

Carpets and rugs manufactured in australia from natural fibres are treated with insect resistant chemicals as are most of the imported products. For furniture synthetic options include acrylic. 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. Adult carpet beetles don t eat carpet or upholstery as they prefer pollen and nectar.

However the concentration is not sufficient to kill the beetles their eggs or their larvae so it only acts as a deterrent. Carpet beetles will only eat organic products so choosing synthetic materials will lessen your chances of getting an infestation. Synthetic materials typically used for rugs and carpeting include nylon polyester triexta and olefin. Carpet beetle larvae will eat all manner of animal material including wool fur silk felt feathers and leather.

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. They can also sometimes cause an allergic reaction.