Great article on but I’m not sure my bug is a carpet beetle. Do you have any photos of them. I attached what I found. I cannot photograph them.
Mine are brownish – grey with a kind of zigzag pattern. About 3mm x 2mm.
They congregate on the kitchen floor, and sliding glass door sill….every spring for the last 4 years. I don’t think they are in my carpets but I’m not sure. They also like window sills.
Driving my nuts.
A pest control friend (who did not see them) said they might be Stink Bugs. Is this the same thing?
Most grateful for your help.
—
Regards,
D.
The photo’s you sent are definitely those of a carpet beetle. In fact, what you described above sounds exactly like a varied or common carpet beetles. This species does vary in color but there are certain things they do that I have seen year after year which makes me confident this is what you have.
1) They will congregate at windows and lights most any spring.
2) They are 1 x 1.5 in size ratio; 2mm x 3mm is about as common of a size as any you’ll find when comparing adults.
3) Their color pattern is almost always “zig zag” and varies from grey to brown to tan to light beige. They can also be dark as they approach the black carpet beetle species.
5) It’s many times hard to find them active in specific targeted food which most any house will have for sure.
Carpet beetles love pollen and will readily try to gain access to it in the spring. This is why they congregate around windows; they’re trying to get outside. In fact, carpet beetles thrive outside. As explained in our CARPET BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, they will live outside in the landscape at homes where no pest control is being done. Here they will live for a few weeks to a month or so any given spray. During this time they’ll get comfortable living around and on the structure. Once they get their “fill” outside they commonly hitch a ride on people’s clothing as they work and play around the yard and from there will find their way inside the home. They’ll also forage inside every fall seeking protection from the cold. Once inside they’ll have plenty to eat with the most common nest site being the carpet. However, they love furniture – especially couches and anything with fabric like clothing, bedding, insulation and pet dander. I suspect any of these locaitons could be the source of their livlihood in your home but regardless, if you wish to get rid of them you’ll need to start treating as explained in the article. I’d do a general liquid treatment followed with some aerosol. If you hit their nest site you should be able to knock them out and this time next year see very little to none.
Here are direct links to the article and our carpet beetle products:
http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page468.html
jonathan www.bugspray.com
Leave a Reply