A reader from Colorado recently sent us these pictures:

She explained that she found this “bug” in her dirty clothes. In her words it is: “tiny, pinkish-reddish-brown orange with stripes, skinny, and has thin hairs coming out of its rear end.” She’s never seen a creature like this before, and is worried about it infesting her home. She wonders what the “bug” is and if it is dangerous or poisonous.

We instantly knew what our reader discovered in her dirty clothes. This rusty colored “bug” is a carpet beetle larva. We write about these larvae all of the time, as they are discovered in our readers’ homes on a weekly basis. Carpet beetle larvae aren’t dangerous or poisonous, but they can cause significant damage to a home. Luckily, it seems like our reader might have caught the infestation early. In order to get rid of the larvae, she will have to identify their primary feeding source, remove it from her home, and do some general cleaning.

Carpet beetle larvae feed on animal products (wool, feathers, fur, dander), dust and other particles, and other various materials found in a home. Since she found the larvae in her dirty clothes, her closet is a good place to start the search for the primary food source. She should look for any clothing that show signs of damage. Anything that fits this criteria should be removed immediately from her home. If it is salvageable, she should have it professionally cleaned before bringing it back inside. Once the primary food source has been located and removed, our reader should clean her home to eliminate any other potential food sources, no matter how small. This should include sweeping, dusting, vacuuming, and doing laundry. To prevent future infestations our reader should continue to follow this cleaning regime, and consider storing her off-season clothes in air-tight containers.

In conclusion, a reader found a carpet beetle larva in her home. As long as she finds and removes the primary food source and keeps her home clean, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get rid of these creatures.