A reader reached out to us because of some bugs she discovered in the back seat of her car. She didn’t provide other details, but did send us a few photographs that show us everything we need to know! The first photo shows the back seat of the car. The 3-4 bugs that are visible are light brown specks against the black material. There is also some light brown dust near the seat belt:
Although this picture doesn’t clearly show the specimens, we are confident that we know what they are. We believe the bugs in our reader’s car are carpet beetle larvae. Carpet beetle larvae are small, rust colored specimens. They have segmented bodies covered in tiny bristle-like hairs. In the other photograph our reader sent us, we can identify this specimen with certainty: it is a carpet beetle larva!
Carpet beetle larvae are common household pests, and they eat a wide variety of items found in a household. In a car, there is a limited number of things these larvae could be eating, unless of course our reader’s car is full of debris. We reckon these larvae are eating the upholstery of the car, though they might also be feeding on old T-shirts or coats lying in the car. Since carpet beetle larvae can be quite destructive, we advise that our reader begin the process of getting rid of these larvae as soon as possible.
She should start by clearing out her car of all debris. Any clothing items should be professionally cleaned in case they contain carpet beetle larvae eggs. After the car is empty, she should have the seats professionally cleaned to eliminate any unseen larvae and eggs. Fortunately a car is a much smaller area than a house, so getting rid of these larvae will be an easier process than getting rid of them in a house.
To wrap up, one of our readers discovered carpet beetle larvae in the backseat of her car. We recommend she thoroughly clean out her car in order to tackle a potential carpet beetle larvae infestation!
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Did the vinegar get rid of them?
If someone comes across this post I wanted to update with my run in with carpet beetles inside my Jeep. I was vacuuming, putting diatomaceous earth over every inch of the car, inside crevices, etc. vacuuming up multiple times and repeating the process.. still we kept seeing carpet beetles and their larvae. Realized after months of not being able to get rid of these things they were UNDER our seats. We found literally THOUSANDS. We would have NEVER gotten rid of the problem unless we completely took out the seats and pulled up the edges of the carpet as they were also underneath the carpet untouched by the diatomaceous earth. After we thoroughly vacuumed I sprayed the whole entire Jeep with vinegar to kill any remaining eggs or larva. I hope this helps! TAKE OUT YOIR SEATS! It’s a pain but worth it to save your vehicle.
I too have carpet beetle larva in my car upholstery after a pest control guy advised us to put bags of infested items in the vehicle and park in the sun while the house was being tented. Although this may work under ideal conditions, even the early Spring sun in San Diego did not fry all of these critters. I never keep anything in my car anyway and yes, it is a much smaller area to deal with although it also makes things very difficult to see. I am not glad that this is happening to someone else but I am glad to know that I am not the only one who has ever found carpet beetle larva in the car. Good luck!