Silverfish and carpet beetle larvae have similar tear-shaped bodies, so we understand the mix up. However, we recognize these critters as a carpet beetle larvae by the brown stripes and long tail.

Getting rid of carpet beetle larvae is relatively straight forward, it just requires some dedicated cleaning to eliminate their food sources. Carpet beetle larvae eat animal products (such as leather, wool, and feathers), dust, pet food, crumbs, and other small particles. In a house they might cause damage to upholstered furniture and linens. The larvae can be tricky to get rid of because they can survive for long periods of time without food, and they can roam around a house looking for additional food sources. Our reader should look for their original food source and remove it from her home immediately.

She should also begin a daily cleaning regime until the carpet beetle larvae are gone. This should involve doing laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, and dusting. As we mentioned before, getting rid of carpet beetle larvae means getting rid of any small morsels hiding around her house that the larvae can feed on. To prevent future visits from carpet beetle larvae our reader can continue to keep up with a cleaning regime. She can also store extra linens, bedding, and out-of-season clothing in airtight containers.

To sum up, one of our readers found carpet beetle larvae in her home. As most of our site visitors know, we write about carpet beetle larvae every week, and we are confident that our reader can say goodbye to these unwanted visitors with some dedicated cleaning.

Originally posted 2017-06-22 06:54:42.