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.

The larvae do all the damage the adults only eat pollen. Carpet beetles can be an annoyance in your home. These immature pests also have bristly hairs that can irritate skin. It is the larvae of the beetle that are a common household pest.

Khapra beetle has been detected and eradicated in australia in the past after being found inside packages which were stored in infested shipping containers. They range in size from 0 3 cm to 0 4 cm. Most carpet beetle damage results from larvae eating holes into natural fiber items like wool silk feathers dead insects and leather. Carpets and rugs manufactured in australia from natural fibres are treated with insect resistant chemicals as are most of the imported products.

Synthetic materials typically used for rugs and carpeting include nylon polyester triexta and olefin. Why they like carpet. Woollen clothes insulation rugs and other items may be attacked and damaged. 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 beetle larvae will eat all manner of animal material including wool fur silk felt feathers and leather. They may eat through your clothes rugs and furniture. The beetles live outside but will come inside to lay their eggs on juicy looking carpet any time of the year. The larvae of the carpet beetle will eat wool carpet and wool rugs can eat lots of it and will permanently damage the carpet.

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. This is especially helpful for carpets rugs and furniture. The larvae are bigger than the adults.

For furniture synthetic options include acrylic. Here s what you need to know. Adult beetles are 2 3 mm. So it may not be just your carpet that is damaged by these fibre eating pests.

Larvae hatch from eggs in the spring and early. 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. They can also sometimes cause an allergic reaction. Carpet beetles will only eat organic products so choosing synthetic materials will lessen your chances of getting an infestation.

Synthetic carpet is not attacked or damaged by carpet beetle grubs. Carpet beetles are found throughout australia and can handle lower humidity than clothes moths so are also found inland from the coast.