One of our readers found several small brown creatures in her home recently. She asked us if we know what kind of “worm” they are. These aren’t worms, they are carpet beetle larvae! We recognized the creature at once after glancing at the photograph.

If you check in on our site often, you probably also saw the rust-colored, segmented, tear-shaped body with tiny hairs protruding from it and thought “Oh I know what this is!” If you guessed that the specimen is a carpet beetle larva, you guessed right!

Carpet beetle larvae are the larval stage of carpet beetle. As an adult, carpet beetle aren’t very destructive, but their larval form can be quite destructive when they find a feeding source inside a home. Carpet beetle larvae eat carpets, linens, upholstered furniture, exposed clothing, dust, animal hair, fur, and other various fibers that settle around a house. In order to get rid of these larvae, our reader will need to identify the primary source that these creatures are feeding on. She should examine the area where she found the carpet beetle larvae for any potential feeding sources. Any material that looks damaged is a good place to start. Once she finds the source, she should have it removed immediately. She might want to remove any other materials in the surrounding area and have them professionally cleaned for good measure.

Once she has removed the source, she should begin a cleaning regime that should last at least a week. This regime should include vacuuming and sweeping at least once a day to eliminate dust. In addition, she should wash all of her linens daily to ensure all the eggs and larvae die, and don’t mature into adult beetles that will lay more eggs and add to the infestation. To prevent a carpet beetle larvae in the future, our reader should continue to practice sanitary habits and vacuum her home often. She may also want to keep extra linens and clothing in air tight clothing that beetles will not be able to access.

In conclusion, a reader found some brown “worms” in her house. We believe that these “worms” are carpet beetle larvae!