Answer
Jan 31, 2013 - 07:25 PM
Carpet beetles tend to get blamed for damage to clothes and garments when no other insects can be found. We have a complete section on carpet beetles here - http://www.epestsupply.com/carpet_bee...
The problem is that even though these beetles are called "carpet beetles", unless the carpet is made of natural wool or some other natural fiber, they won't eat it. Also, it's not the adult beetles that do the damage, its the larvae stage which resembles a small hairy worm. Unless you have found any evidence of beetles such as dead beetles, larvae, etc, then I doubt if it is carpet beetles causing the damage.
The important thing to remember is that Carpet Beetles, Clothes Moths, etc, are looking for Natural fibers, not cotton. Natural wool carpet, clothes, etc contain "keratin" which is a protein also found in hair, skin and nails, although these little beetles don't attack humans or feed on human tissues. Very seldom will they feed on cotton as there is no nutrition in it.
Regardless, if you have damage to clothing, then it is either something caused mechanically - washer - dryer, etc. or it could be something else. If you are convinced that it is insect related - it could also be crickets, silverfish, etc., then there are a couple of things you can do.
First treat the area with a residual insecticide such as Pestabs. This product can be sprayed over all the carpets, corners of rooms, under beds, etc. Here is the link - http://www.epestsupply.com/product/PE...
You can also use ePest IPM Bug Traps and place them inside the closet along baseboards, stick them on the walls etc, to trap insects - http://www.epestsupply.com/product/IP...
Finally, Insect Guard will provide a "fumigating" effect that will kill and repel insects - http://www.epestsupply.com/product/IN...
Its always a good idea to know exactly what the insect is before you start spraying and using a lot of pesticides indoors. The Bug Traps may be a great place to start while you continue investigating. Hope this helps.
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