Can Carpet Beetle Larvae Live On a Human Host?

Share the knowledge

“Can carpet beetle larvae live on a human host?” asks this reader in his submission. He has had problems with sores on his head, ears, face and neck, which last approximately three months.

To answer our reader’s question, no carpet beetle larvae do not live on human hosts. In fact, they do not take hosts at all, as they are not parasites. Carpet beetle larvae merely feed on organic and animal-based materials, but not on the animals themselves. This means that while they would feed on feathers, they would not feed directly off a bird. The same goes for humans.

Carpet Beetle Larva – Photo from Past Article

Now, our reader does not send in any pictures, nor does he provide any physical descriptions of the organisms that are bothering him, so there is nothing else we could possibly use to identify the critters. But in any case, as our reader describes experiencing sores, this situation sounds as if it is potentially medical in nature, and as such, we are not qualified to identify these organisms.

What we suggest is that our reader consult a medical parasitologist. They are physicians which specialize in treating diseases/infections that are caused by organisms. What we can recommend is that our reader do one or more of the following:
1) Search for a medical parasitologist in his area using this directory of medical parasitology consultants: https://www.astmh.org/for-astmh-members/clinical-consultants-directory.
2) Search for a local parasitologist by doing a Google search for “medical parasitologist (name of the closest big city)” or “tropical medicine specialist (name of the closest big city)”.
3) Get in touch with Dr. Omar Amin at the Parasitology Center at https://www.parasitetesting.com.
In conclusion, carpet beetle larvae do not take human hosts, as they are not parasites, but merely household pests. What we recommend is that our reader consult a medical parasitologist to receive help with his sores and find out what may be causing them. We wish him the very best!

 

All About Worms is always free, always reader-supported. Your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP Publishing.

CashApp us Square Cash app link

Venmo us Venmo link

Paypal us Paypal link

Note: Some links on this site are partner links. That means that we earn a tiny bit if you purchase something through them, at no extra charge to you. This helps offset the cost of keeping this resource free for everybody (it doesn't cover our costs, but every little bit helps! :~) )
Summary
Can Carpet Beetle Larvae Live On a Human Host?
Article Name
Can Carpet Beetle Larvae Live On a Human Host?
Description
"Can carpet beetle larvae live on a human host?" asks this reader in his submission. He has had problems with sores on his head, ears, face and neck, which last approximately three months.
Author

Share the knowledge

Author: Worm Researcher Anton

4 thoughts on “Can Carpet Beetle Larvae Live On a Human Host?

  1. I too for the second time have found carpet beetles and have acquired parasitic like symptoms. I’ve felt as though something is living on my scalp and my beard and sometimes crawling around my genitals and rectal area. Although the crawling sensations in trousers is later In the evening and night usually.? I found carpet beetles infested my couch two years ago and cleaned and sprayed and sprinkled DE All over and it went away for about a month and I felt normal again. And then it started back one night when I was falling asleep I felt as if something very small but in numbers was flocking to my eyes and it was kinda a burning sensation but didn’t think anything of it. Shortly after this I acquired blepharitis on my eyes which lasted about 2 months then that symptom went away and the crawling sensations were accompanied by the feeling of a sharp bite, this too in various parts of my body. All the while my head, around my ears, and my face and nostrils were the main source of activity as if that was their favorite spot of all. Of course I would be looking any time I felt something or seeing what was there with my fingers and all I would find was either a black speck sometimes white oval speck or a tiny clear fiber like from a blanket or something? The fibers and white dust like specks were everywhere airborne as well and seem to float and land where lever thet wanted almost like they had control over their floating/flying?!?! They seemed to be in my clothes no matter how much I washed or how long i stored them in airtight containers, also I would notice something out of my peripheral fly by my face or away from my face/head and that too accompanied by a lot of floaters in my eyes whenever I would scan left to right with my eyes…? I would see lots of fungus type gnats and or types of flies and I swore I had a mold issue but couldn’t see it or find it and aside from that also would find tons of those tiny fabric moth cocoons along the edge of our carpet too when frantically looking for something..it seemed as though these flies and little flying things were literally coming from my scalp although I had no sores or bumps or any of that? My gf isn’t affected like myself and our dogs but rather she would aquire these tiny zit like bumps that would never pop and stay there for a long time before going away? She has the occasional itch but that’s it which is weird cuz my dog and I are tortured by whatever it is? We ended up leaving all our things behind and ditching that joint and moved to the mountains in NorCal and after about 2 months of the same feelings it all subsided for whatever reason? I could’ve sworn it was mold and a fungal issue that was attracting the carpet beetles and the flies and the black specks in my scalp and face randomly and also why it felt it was in my clothes too cuz spores would do this as well? And the fact it went away after removing us from the environment as well made me think mold had to be the main culprit of our symptoms here?? Never found out for sure though. Now 2 1/2 years later we moved into a new home and literally 2 months after being here I started feeling the symptoms again and we did find a dark water spot in the garage which is attached to our room so there has to be a leak in the roof there somewhere and also found a lot more things wrong with the house and property, such as white mold in the vents and system around house, the entire back deck and deck to the studio out back completely dry rotted, and also starting to see new cracks in the foundation in various spots on walls and ceiling too. It seems both times I’ve found carpet beetles right after the symptoms first started and it just keeps having more and more things to look at as if the next thing has to be what’s causing it? I don’t see anywhere where carpet beetles do all of this anywhere. They say to just vacuum a lot and clean up clutter and thoroughly wash clothes and all that but it doesn’t seem to help? I do know that straw itch mites parasitize carpet beetles and are known for infesting homes due to insects like beetles being in the home and when their host dies they move around and are noticed as well. They are microscopic so can’t see them and they do bite hard too? I’m starting to think that they are too in the same places as the carpet beetles hence my carpet and this is why no matter how much I clean or vacuum or spray they keep on coming? I’m just looking for someone to help cuz I’m in such a bind I totaled my truck and am waiting for my insurance to send me my settlement and am dead broke so need to save up but without a car I can’t even go sleep in it to see if a week of that makes the symptoms die down? I feel hopeless cuz I can’t seem to help my dog feel better and obviously not myself either? I have paratosin which I started taking today so hopefully I start seeing some results or see something that’ll help come out of me . Good luck out there and something’s got to give. I’m literally thinking of taking my tent when I get my new car and my dog and going and pitching it up somewhere and starting over yet again ugghh. This time around will get an RV or something to live in. Anyways thanks for anyone reading and hope to have some feedback.

  2. I think the question deserves much further consideration! I believe I had a carpet beetle embedded in my toe and another one (or larvae) underneath a different toenail! Maybe the person who asked the question is on to something as of yet unknown or undocumented. Carpet beetles could be evolving! Perhaps they have undergone a mutation. I have found numerous carpet beetles eating in the dry cat food bowls

  3. I’m so confused I believe I’m infested with a blackfly possibly its been almost a year and I’ve been told I’m going nuts know it’s a type of infestation I’m embarrassed I need help

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *