We just heard from a reader in North Central Texas. She sent us a few photographs of some organisms she discovered on her bedroom carpet and on her mattress. She wants to know if the creatures are carpet beetle larvae. The first photograph she sent shows the organism in question on her bedroom carpet:

From the photo we can see this organism is small and brown. We don’t immediately recognize it as a carpet beetle larvae, but it does have similar traits and is roughly the same size and shape as a carpet beetle larva. The next photograph shows the organisms in the seams of her mattress:

In this photograph we can see just how tiny the organisms are! We think they are the small brown dots along the seam of the mattress. Based on these photos and where our reader discovered the creatures, we believe that she has found carpet beetle larvae.

Carpet beetle larvae are some of the most common pests found in a household. They eat a wide variety of household items: animal products (wool, feathers, fur), carpet, upholstered furniture, linens, pet hair, pet food, dust, and other small particles around a household. Since our reader has discovered these on her bed and in her carpet, we believe they are probably feeding on her bedding/mattress and the carpet. If possible, we encourage her to remove the mattress and carpet from her home immediately to ensure these larvae don’t inhabit other areas of her house. She should have them professionally cleaned so that there are no unseen eggs or larvae left behind. She should also begin a daily cleaning regime (dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, doing laundry) to get rid of any other potential food sources for these larvae!

In summary, a reader discovered some brown worm-like organisms on her carpet and mattress. We are confident that these specimens are carpet beetle larvae!

Summary

Article Name

Are Brown Worms Carpet Beetle Larvae?

Description

A reader discovered some brown worm-like organisms on her carpet and mattress. We are confident that these specimens are carpet beetle larvae!

Author

Dori Franklin