Dear Sir,
Terminix has been in our home five times and treated five times. We are now finding adult carpet beetles. We only found one prior to the introduction of a professional. We have finally gotten out of our contract with Terminix. I have wrapped a large,expensive chair in a plastic movers bag, and as I suspected, there are adult beetles in the bag. The chair and sofa were very expensive-can they be treated effectively, or is it of the best interest of our home to dispose of them? We have also found an infestation in a new refrigerator that we recently paid off. Do we need to throw that out too? I am just distraught, sir, tell me what I can do, please.
Respectfully yours, L.B.
I’m not sure if they told you what to expect following treatments but seeing some adults hatching a month or so after you spray is entirely common. As our CARPET BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE explains, since we’re not able to kill the third stage which is the insect pupae casing, expect them to be hatching for 1-3 months following your initial spraying. But if you lay down a good RESIDUAL and growth regulator like th NYLAR, you should be stopping the cycle so eventually all activity will stop.
At this point I would make sure you have in place a good liquid treatment on the flooring where you’re seeing activity. For areas like the motor housing of a refrigerator, spraying with a liquid is sometimes not suggested being that this is an electrical environment. For these areas use a product like DELTAMETHRIN DUST is better suited. It will last a good long time and goes on dry so it won’t make a mess. It’s also ideal for up under furniture, where the springs are located, as this is a prime location for larvae and adult carpet beetles to nest.
I also suggest you keep on hand a can of PT-CYKICK. This odorless aerosol is handy to have for spot treating any place you may have missed which is observed to have activity at a later time. Cykick can be applied to moldings, furniture and is easy to use since it’s in a can ready to spray.
Here are direct links to our article and product pages:
http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page469.html
And if you have any questions, feel free to give us a call on our toll free 1-800-877-7290.
jonathan
Vince says
First let me say that I’m positive I have the Varied Carpet Beetle, as I sent them to an entomologist. Carpet Beetles are incredibly good at hiding–or wandering, whichever way you want to look at it. I have found them in between shelves, underneath drawers, in between the bamboo of rice mats, inside of sealed bags of rice, inside of pots and pans, and on clean clothes that have been washed hanging on hangars, and in between stacked plates in my cupboard. They will eat lots of things. Including any dried food on a casserole dish, pet food, a human hair, fuzz, etc.
These things are really incredible. I suggest you turn your house upside down, and have it sprayed twice. Treat it like cockroaches. Pull everything out of your cupboards and cabinets, and have everything sprayed with the double action formula LB mentioned above. Make sure it’s the residual spray.
Good luck.