We instantly recognize this creature. It’s a carpet beetle larva! Carpet beetle larvae are extremely common household pests. Since they feed on such a wide variety of items found in a household, readers discover them in all rooms of their homes. They eat carpet, upholstered furniture, bedding, animal products (such as wool, fur, feather, and felt), and much more. The carpet beetle larva our reader discovered is probably eating either her mattress or her bedding.
Since our reader only found one of these larvae, we think they are probably only eating in her bedroom, and hopefully limited to the bed. Our reader should investigate all of her bedding for signs of carpet beetle larvae damage. If there is damage we recommend she dispose of the item and have it replaced, or have it professionally cleaned. Either way, she should wash all of her bedding. If she believes the larvae are eating the mattress, we recommend she have that professionally cleaned as well. She should also vacuum, dust, sweep, and do laundry daily to eliminate any other potential food sources for these larvae! It is crucial that our reader stick to this cleaning regime, because cleaning is the only way to get rid of carpet beetle larvae.
To summarize, a reader found a small worm-like organism on her mattress. The creature is a carpet beetle larva, which our reader can get rid of by cleaning.
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