“Is this worm a carpet beetle larva worm?” asks Dawn in her submission regarding the darkly-colored worm-like creatures pictured below. “And if I only found one so far, would there be a nest or others somewhere else? Where would I look? Thank you.” To start with, we have to unfortunately point out the low resolution and bad lighting in the photographs, and why that will make it difficult for us to confirm with certainty whether or not the organisms our reader found are carpet beetle larvae. We will say that, if she finds more of these larvae in places where there are a lot of textile items, such as on her bed, a couch, in a wardrobe or closet, or on rugs or carpet, then these could be carpet beetle larvae. However, we cannot confirm this identity based solely on the photo or on the context.

Dawn also mentions that she has only found one so far, which is curious, as there seem to be two organisms in the photograph below. That said, if these are carpet beetle larvae, then we suppose the second ‘creature’ could just be a shed skin, as carpet beetle larvae, like many species of insects, molt through various stages during ‘larva-hood’ and shed their skins to grow bigger. Now, to answer her second question – while finding one larva does not necessarily mean there is a nest of these somewhere, in the case of carpet beetle larvae, it is not that common that lone larvae wander in people’s homes: if there is one, there are probably more.

So, then we come to our reader’s final question: where does she look for them? Carpet beetle larvae will want to stay close to a source of food (so any textile that is made from, or even partially made from, organic materials like cotton, wool or silk). They also want to stay in places where they can remain hidden, so likely a dark, cramped space. With this in mind, our reader will want to look under and behind upholstered furniture, in wardrobes and closets, in drawers that contain clothes, under rugs, and even on top of rugs (especially those with thick fibers between which the larvae could hide). If she finds the source of the infestation (which is where the highest concentration of larvae will be), we recommend that she vacuum that area, and launder any potentially-infested textile items to eliminate the infestation. Of course, infestations can spread, so it might be a good idea to scour her entire home for more larvae, and to vacuum her entire home as well.

In conclusion, we cannot confirm if these are carpet beetle larvae, because the photo provided is not clear enough, and there is not sufficient context provided to suggest that these are definitely carpet beetle larvae. We hope nonetheless that Dawn finds the article helpful, and we wish her the very best!

Summary

Article Name

Where to Check Your Home for Carpet Beetle Larvae

Description

"Is this worm a carpet beetle larva worm?" asks Dawn in her submission regarding the darkly-colored worm-like creatures pictured below. "And if I only found one so far, would there be a nest or others somewhere else? Where would I look? Thank you." To start with, we have to unfortunately point out the low resolution and bad lighting in the photographs, and why that will make it difficult for us to confirm with certainty whether or not the organisms our reader found are carpet beetle larvae. We will say that, if she finds more of these larvae in places where there are a lot of textile items, such as on her bed, a couch, in a wardrobe or closet, or on rugs or carpet, then these could be carpet beetle larvae. However, we cannot confirm this identity based solely on the photo or on the context.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton