“Over the last couple of days, I have been finding two-to-four of these bugs walking around on my ceiling”, states this reader in her submission regarding the light brown, striped organism pictured below. “Do you know what they are and how I can get rid of them?” she asks. She goes on to say that the picture is zoomed in, and that the bugs are usually found “around the same spot” in the corner of her bedroom.

“Is there anything I can do naturally to get rid of them? Also do you know where they could be coming from?” To answer our reader’s first question, we believe these are carpet beetle larvae. These critters are household pests that feed on textiles. To be specific, they feed solely on textiles made from organic-based materials, which includes cotton, wool, feathers, fur and leather. The larvae of the beetles are the most voracious of eaters, and our reader is lucky to have spotted them, as infestations of carpet beetle larvae can go unnoticed for long periods of time, resulting in a lot of damage being done to the textile goods in one’s home.

Now, to answer our reader’s second question, there are indeed methods by which she can get rid of them “naturally”, by which we assume she means without the use of insecticides, which we never recommend anyway. The best way to eliminate carpet beetle infestations is to vacuum any areas in which they are found, and to launder/steam clean (depending on the item) any item that they may have infested. In fact, it is best to vacuum one’s entire home, just to be sure. This cleaning should be done multiple times a week for a minimum of two weeks, to ensure that no larvae or eggs escaped. Lucky for our reader, she seems to have located the source of the infestation (the corner of her bedroom), which is the most important area to clean, as it will eliminate the bulk of the infestation quickly.

To answer her final question, the source of the infestation is likely from an adult beetle who laid her eggs in our reader’s home as it was ripe with organic-based materials on which her offspring could feed. The adult beetle could have gotten in any number of ways: through an open door or window (check for and replace ripped window screens!), on the clothing of a person, or on the body of a pet. To prevent future infestations, our reader should make sure there are no openings in the home through which bugs can easily crawl, such as the aforementioned window screens, as well as cracks in walling and flooring that could be sealed with caulk (or some other type of sealing agent). Additionally, storing unused clothing and other organic-based textiles in airtight/vacuum-sealed containers/bags helps keep out clothes pests.

In conclusion, the brown-striped bugs our reader has been finding on her ceiling are carpet beetle larvae. They are clothes pests, and can prove destructive to the home. For that reason, we implore our reader to put into effect a cleaning regime as soon as possible in order to eliminate this infestation before it gets worse. We hope this helps, and we wish her the very best.

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