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Aug 12, 2013 - 09:30 AM
Carpet beetles usually get the blame for any small beetle you find crawling around. Unless you have wool carpet, wool rugs, or lots of wool clothes they are infesting, it is probably not a true carpet beetle. It is a dermestid beetle. Carpet beetles are actually just one of the many dermestid beetles we find infesting inside homes, buildings etc.
Dermestid beetles can be avid flyers, and this is usually how the get inside. They live on plants outside. They just fly in or crawl right in. It is possible that are coming in from under the baseboards, but not likely.
What is probably happening, is that they have simply migrated indoors from outdoors. Dermestid beetles live on plants, shrubs, and anything that is leafy, juicy or provides a food source.
When they get inside, they can lay eggs, and then when the eggs hatch, the larvae appear.
Here is what I would do since you have asthma.
1) Vacuum the entire room as thoroughly as possible. Get a good flashlight and look for them, when you find them, suck them up.
2) Consider spraying a growth regulator based product such as Ultracide. This product is for fleas, but also one of the very best for dermestid and carpet beetles. We sell a lot of this stuff to rug dealers and carpet dealers who have carpet beetle problems. It contains an IGR that slows down the reproductive process, and also an adulticide that kills the adults. It is in an alcohol base. It smells a little like alcohol when it is applied. Just spray it sparingly around the baseboards and then for about on hour.
Other than that, you could try using the ePest IMP Bug traps. These traps are non-chemical and capture almost any insect.
Do all of this initially, and then followup every 3-4 weeks for a couple of months. Your dermestid beetle problem should go away.
Ron
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