Carpet beetle rash VS. Bed bug bites

After the bed bug evolution and their comeback, professional pest control companies in London treat bed bug infestations on a daily basis. We have noticed that the majority of properties in London affected by one pest are infested by another pest as well, mostly by textile pests and mice. There is one pest insect though, that is causing a lot of nuisance, without people noticing its presence and realising that it is the source of the problem. And nope, it is not a bed bug! It is the carpet beetle larva that is causing a skin reaction in most cases where we are exposed to the larva’s hair and traces on our bedding, furniture and clothes.

Bed bug bites or a carpet beetle rash?

Most importantly though, the hair or bristles of the larva’s abdomen and the traces of the insect’s blood are causing an allergic reaction to people, resulting in a rash that resembles bed bug bites. The contact with our skin may produce a mild reaction or severe rash and it is very difficult to determine what is causing the bites or the rash, by just the looks of it. The rash will fade away quicker if you do not scratch it, as well as the bed bug bites. In any case, you should consult with your general practitioner or skin doctor if you receive such a rash or allergic reaction to insect bites.

Our technicians are often called out to treat a bed bug infestation, without any obvious signs or evidence of bed bug infestation, apart from the bites received by the customer. Interestingly enough, in nearly all of the cases where it is not a bed bug infestation we encounter carpet beetles instead, or sometimes both pests. The adult carpet beetle usually finds entry points to access the property or just fly in through an opened window or door, unlike bed bugs that are being introduced with infested luggage or furniture. The adult beetle feeds on pollen so any plants and flowers may attract them. They may lay more than a hundred eggs at a time and they usually hatch into larvae within 7 to 35 days after being deposited.  The larva of the carpet beetle is the troublemaker as it feeds preferably on natural fabrics, especially leather, wool, feathers, fur and other fabric materials or animal products.

Bed bug and carpet beetle control

In all carpet beetle and bed bug cases, we advise our customers to remove and check any storage underneath the beds or drawers in the bed frames. Look through your clothes in the closet or the wardrobe and apply 60C degree wash, if applicable. Any delicate fabrics and clothes could be thoroughly checked and shaken outside the property or through the window, tumble dried or dry cleaned. The most common signs of the both carpet beetle and bed bug infestation are signs of black spots on wood or fabrics, which are the droppings and also shed skins. The carpet beetle larvae may survive long periods without feeding and it may crawl around the property, looking for a food source. The larvae can actually bite, as they eat up fabrics and may leave holes in your clothes, damage furniture, carpets and other fabrics. They can also feed on dead insects and skin, so it is a good idea to clean very thoroughly and inspect all areas around the skirtings, behind furniture, under the bed, mattresses, headboards and bed frames in general.

If the problem persists, then maybe you should seek professional help. Prime Pest Control London provide very thorough inspections and individual risk assessments, providing the most adequate advice on the spot. The treatment is undertaken on the same visit, applying usually heat and professional use only insecticide, as well as proofing of the whole property, which is the general best practice for preventing future infestations. More information about carpet beetles, bed bugs and ways to control them you can find on the other pages on our website.

Author:

Blago Manov

Managing Director

Bed Bug Hunters & Prime Pest Control

Do Carpet Beetles Bite? Facts and Potential Side Effects

Carpet beetles are a type of beetle commonly found in homes.

They may be found anywhere, but mostly live in:

• carpets
• closets
• air vents
• baseboards

The adults are 1/16 to 1/8 inch long and oval-shaped. They range in color from black to speckled with white, brown, yellow, and orange.

Larvae — young carpet beetles — are 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, and tan or brownish. They’re covered with bristles and shed their skin as they grow.

Carpet beetles are more of a threat to your clothes and rugs than to you.

Carpet beetles don’t bite humans. They’re scavengers, which means they feed mostly on dead animal products or other debris. In addition, they feed on dry substances.

Some people can be allergic to carpet beetles, although most aren’t. Specifically, the allergy is to larvae bristles or skin that’s been shed.

They can cause an allergic reaction if they come into contact with your:

• skin
• eyes
• airways
• digestive tract

Symptoms of an allergic reaction to carpet beetles include:

• red, itchy, and watery eyes
• runny nose
• itchy skin
• rash, which looks like welts or bites, and may cause a burning sensation
• hives
• gastrointestinal issues

The symptoms of an allergic reaction will go away once the carpet beetles and their shed skin are eliminated from your home.

There’s also some evidence that people become desensitized with long-term exposure, but getting rid of the beetles is usually the best option.

Although carpet beetles don’t pose any risk to humans beyond a potential allergic reaction, the larvae do chew through fabric, doing damage that’s often mistaken for moths.

In general, they only eat natural, animal-based fabrics such as:

• wool
• feathers
• felt
• fur
• silk
• leather

They may also eat items such as natural hair brushes with natural fibers, hair, and other human and animal debris that collects around the house.

Carpet beetles don’t usually eat cotton, linen, or other plant-based or synthetic fabrics, but they may eat fabric blends or fabrics stained with animal products.

They often eat along the edges or in folds of fabric, as well as the underside of rugs.

Only the larvae feed on fabric. Adults eat nectar and pollen.

Carpet beetles are often attracted to light and warmth indoors. Often, they’ll just fly inside your home, but can also get inside on pets or clothes.

Some species may infest seeds, cereal, pet food, and other plant-based items, and come in with those. Once inside, they may be attracted to sweat odors on clothes.

To help prevent carpet beetles from entering your home:

• Wash and dry clean clothing before storing it for long periods. This will kill any eggs and get rid of sweat odors.
• Store clothes in airtight containers and check them once in a while for carpet beetles.
• Use mothballs in your closet and with stored clothing.
• Regularly clean your carpets, rugs, and upholstered furniture, as well as air vents and baseboards.
• Check flowers for carpet beetles before bringing them inside.
• Install screens on your doors and windows, or keep them closed.
• Remove dead insects, spider webs, and animal nests from your home.

Seeing beetles — especially larvae — or their skin can be a sign that you have a carpet beetle infestation.

If you do, it’s important to find where carpet beetles may be living or laying eggs. Look at all items with fabrics they may eat, and be sure to pay attention to folds and creases in the fabric.

Once you have all the items that are infested:

• Wash, dry clean, or get rid of any infested items. If you wash them, use hot water. You can also get rid of carpet beetles and their eggs by freezing the fabric for about 2 weeks.
• If you can’t clean something, spray it with insecticide that’s safe for indoor use. Be sure to follow the instructions. Never spray insecticide on bedding or clothing.
• Vacuum floors, carpets, and heating vents, especially along their edges.

If you have a serious infestation, you might need professional fumigation.

If carpet beetles are living in your bed, it can be hard to tell if you have them or bed bugs. Both can live in mattresses and other bedding, and are attracted to the carbon dioxide you exhale as you sleep.

Both carpet beetles and bed bugs can cause welt-like rashes. However, rashes from bed bugs are from bites, while rashes from carpet beetles are from allergic reactions.

If only one person in the bed is getting bites or a rash, it’s more likely that you have carpet beetles. This is because most people are allergic to bed bugs, but allergies to carpet beetles are rarer.

Bed bugs leave signs like red or dark stains on sheets. The telltale signs of carpet beetles are their shed skins. Because carpet beetle larvae are bigger than bed bugs, you may be more likely to see the beetles themselves.

If you’re not sure which you have, you can have an exterminator come look for bedbugs. If they don’t find any, you might have carpet beetles.

Carpet beetles can be an annoyance in your home.

They may eat through your clothes, rugs, and furniture. They can also sometimes cause an allergic reaction.

However, they don’t bite and don’t otherwise pose any danger to humans.

Leather beetle

Leather beetle

Surprisingly, many people have never heard of one of the most common and dangerous pests – the skin beetle. This small and very unpleasant insect lives in many houses, spoils food and furniture, but the homeowners do not even know who gives them so much trouble.

If you have ever met a small black or brown bug in your apartment, and more than one, you should definitely read this article carefully. It is likely that a kozheed beetle has settled in your house. If, having heard its name, you decided that this small insect feeds exclusively on skin, then you are very much mistaken. Unfortunately, there are very few inedible things for these nasty insects. Glue, fabric, cardboard, food – this is not a complete list of “sweets” that such bugs will be happy to try on their teeth. With the same success, they will not disdain products made of wood, plastic and even concrete. Therefore, if you suddenly find such a “little animal” at home, you need to get rid of it urgently.

Skin beetle species

Kozheed beetle is a common name for a large number of species of this insect. Let’s look at some of them:

Carpet beetle . This is the name of a whole group of pests, which includes 3-4 more subspecies. These are small (2-4 mm) brown bugs that can feed only on the smallest particles of organic debris – pieces of cat hair, small crumbs, human skin flakes, and so on. It is noteworthy that such a bug feeds only at the larval stage, and adults consume the subcutaneous “fat” that they accumulated in the initial stages of their development.

Ham Skin Eater . These bugs are most common on the Eurasian continent. The insect very quickly and easily penetrates the dwelling and instantly lays a large number of larvae. It looks like a small black oblong beetle with a yellowish-gray color on part of both wings.

Fur coat . Black in color with five white dots on the back. Despite its name, this bug does not eat fur coats and other things. He is attracted exclusively to food products. Perhaps this is the most harmless type of kozheedov.

Brownie and Museum . Most often, such insects start and breed in flowers and stuffed animals. In houses and apartments, despite the name, they are extremely rare.

Kozheed Smirnova . Brown bug no larger than 3 mm. Most often lives on window sills and window frames.

Kozheed Frisha . Just like the brownie (museum), this small black bug is almost impossible to meet in apartments.

Where do they come from

The kozheed beetle enters a person’s dwelling in various ways: through open windows, with flowers and furniture, clothes and shoes that have been in the infected room for some time. They get into houses easily and imperceptibly, for some time you will not even know about the new “neighbors”. But getting rid of them is sometimes very difficult, in especially neglected cases, you may even need the help of specialists.

Skin beetle control

To understand how long the fight against these pests can take, let’s look at the stages of development of the kozheed beetle. Females can lay their larvae anywhere: on the surface of various materials, in the cracks of the floor and walls, in furniture, and so on. Depending on the temperature in the room, the period for the birth of a new population can be from two to fifty days. The drier and warmer the room, the faster the process. Each female during the period of her life is able to lay about a hundred eggs, and in the conditions of the temperature and humidity conditions of the apartment, kozheeda beetles can produce 4–5 offspring per year. The larva of the kozheed beetle molts 6-7 times with a break of 5-9days, and before the stage of pupation, it can gnaw long (up to 10 cm) passages even in those materials that are not used for food. Thus, it is the larvae that cause the greatest damage to the premises and people.

First of all, kozheedy destroy all things made from materials of animal origin: fluff, leather, fur, felt, silk, wool and others. They also like to gnaw and food products: dried and dried meat and fish, cheese, milk and cereals. Then they will not disdain books, especially old ones. Their bindings contain glue, which they also “respect” very much. In especially neglected cases, kozheeds can harm wires and cables, for example, from a computer, gnaw on furniture, especially upholstery, picture frames, “gobble up” wallpaper, especially natural ones, and gnaw on parquet.

You can find insects in an apartment in many places. Most often they nest in warm and dry places – in mattresses, sofas, in the kitchen, near radiators. First of all, carefully inspect the upholstery of sofas, armchairs and other upholstered furniture – leather-eaters treat these places with special trepidation. Sometimes it happens that homeowners do not pay attention to insects until one of the beetles, without calculating the flight path, crashes directly into the forehead of the owner. Despite the fact that adults fly well, they are quite plump and do not always successfully reach the target the first time. Most often, it is very difficult to detect a pest breeding site. The kozheed beetle chooses for reproduction such places where it is very difficult to reach, for example, under the plinth and in the air bubble under the wallpaper. Also, window frames and window sills, flower pots, ceiling lamps and lamps with a lot of details can become a breeding ground.

There are several options for breeding skin beetles. First of all, you need to try to get rid of them physically, for example, to process all suspicious places with a vacuum cleaner. This should be done at least twice a day for 7-10 days. The vacuum cleaner bag must be thoroughly shaken out each time, and even better, replaced with a new one. You can also use a unit with a water filter – this will ensure that the beetles do not crawl back. In addition, all infected objects and things need to be processed using a temperature difference – skin beetles do not like this very much. In winter, you can take everything outside or onto the balcony and leave it there for several hours, and then bring it into a warm room. To enhance the effect, the procedure must be repeated several times. Also, all problem areas can be processed using a steam generator, such processing of skirting boards and hard-to-reach places is especially effective. The procedure should also be repeated several times.

What else can you do if you are overtaken by such a disaster as a kozheed beetle in an apartment. How to get rid of this scourge if the previous methods did not help? In fairness, it should be noted that simple physical elimination can only help if the insects have settled in you recently and have not yet had much time to breed. In other cases, the use of chemicals, most likely, cannot be dispensed with. Here are some recipes. After thorough cleaning, sprinkle boric acid powder in all accessible places, especially under carpeting and near baseboards. Also, preparations for fighting moths are suitable for removing kozheedov beetles, but it is better to use them as an additional remedy. It is worth remembering that antimoles have only a short-term effect, but at the same time they are endowed with a strong smell, by the way, not always pleasant.

Facts about skin eaters – you need to know

To effectively deal with skin beetles in a house or apartment, you just need to know some details about them: Pests absolutely do not accept moisture. So regular wet cleaning using a steam generator will help get rid of the misfortune once and for all.

Despite the fact that skin beetles are omnivorous, things of animal origin are of the greatest interest to them. Adults can fly around the house during the daytime, and hide at night. So you can lure them out by simply turning on the light – they will fly to the light bulb. However, the larvae cannot be lured out in this way. Like many other insects, skin beetles spoil things only at the larval stage. Adults do little to no harm (other than reproducing). The process of turning a larva into a beetle takes 2-3 months. This means that all this time the insect will actively eat, that is, gnaw on your furniture or boots. Larvae of all types of kozheed do not tolerate light. Therefore, when processing, pay special attention to the inner surfaces of cabinets, bedside tables and sofas, as well as other places where light does not fall.

The bites of the kozheed beetle are rather painful. These insects can carry various diseases. Kozheed larvae are much less susceptible to external influences than, for example, moth larvae. Therefore, for their destruction, antimoles alone are not enough. If the room has a dry, warm climate, then the larvae will develop quickly and in large numbers. If the climate is changed to a more unfavorable one, then insects will develop more slowly, but there will be much more harm from them. The larvae of the kozheed beetle never sleep, they are always on the move.

Preventive measures

If you have managed to get rid of these small household pests, it is also worth taking some measures to ensure that they do not appear in your home again. As often as possible, carry out wet cleaning in the house, preferably using a household steam generator. Spread sprigs of dry lavender, wormwood or moth repellents on the shelves of cabinets and bedside tables – skin beetles also do not like them. Install mosquito nets on windows and balconies – in the summer, bugs often enter the room through the window. Inspect closets more often – get rid of old and unnecessary things without regret. Less trash means fewer bugs. During the preventive treatment of the premises with insecticides, do not forget to take care of personal safety – put on a disposable gown, gloves, goggles and a respirator. And remember, the appearance of any insects in the house is easier to prevent than eliminate, so keep your home clean, and then no insects are afraid of him.

what kind of parasites and how to get rid of them

Mice, cockroaches, mosquitoes and flies – every owner of an apartment or house has come across these pests. But there are insects that are difficult to notice and many greatly underestimate their danger. The kozheed beetle in the apartment is just one of those pests that are difficult to detect immediately. Insects can pretty much ruin clothes, food, furniture, and even art. Absolutely omnivorous, but almost invisible.

Who is a kozheed and what does he look like

An adult insect is a beetle up to 12 mm long and up to 5 mm wide (shown large in the photo). The color is dark brown, black, sometimes variegated. The body is oval in shape, slightly convex from above. Kozheed larvae are spindle-shaped, 1.5-1.5 cm in length and 0.5-5.0 mm in width. The color is yellowish-gray, covered with hairs (photo below). Knowing what skin-eaters look like, you can notice them in a timely manner and start a fight.

Kozheed

The new generation appears in May. Adult individuals can climb into the premises and breed there – lay eggs from which voracious larvae appear.

According to scientific articles, skin beetles are polyphages, that is, their nutritional spectrum is very diverse. In the intestines of the larvae there are enzymes that can digest natural silk proteins. In addition, the larvae damage the skin, for which they received the name, they are able to feed on a variety of materials of animal origin – dry insects, feathers, wool, human hair, food (dried mushrooms, sausages, smoked fish and meat, cereals, flour). Kozheeds are widespread everywhere, except for tundra regions. There are several types of these insects – carpet, museum, ham, grain.

If insects live in nature, then the question arises: where do the kozheeds in the apartment come from? The reason for the appearance is quite simple – insects most often enter housing in the summer through open windows, with flowers, old books, things that have been lying on the veranda, attic, etc. for a long time.

What harm do skin beetles cause to housing, humans and animals

Harm is caused mainly by larvae – they are omnivores, therefore they can eat fur and leather products, stuffed animals, harm wooden and upholstered furniture, books, and spoil food. Researchers who studied these insects found that the kozheed bugs cannot bite. Theoretically, larvae are capable of this, since they have a gnawing mouth apparatus. There is no data in studies on whether kozheeds bite people, but on the forums, many apartment owners who encountered insects wrote that they were bitten by them. In any case, kozheed larvae in an apartment can be dangerous to humans and animals.

The reason is that in the process of feeding, skin beetles do not disdain anything and feed on plant and animal remains, therefore they are often carriers of pathogens, various bacteria, parasite eggs. They can infect a person with helminths, and this parasite is already much more dangerous. In the larval stage, the carpet beetle can carry viral diseases.

Those whom he bit, write that insect bites are quite painful, but they manifest themselves in different ways – depending on the sensitivity of the skin. Some had practically no reaction – only small red dots that did not cause much discomfort. Others have noted that bites cause an allergic reaction – redness, swelling of the bite site, itching, etc. In case of severe reactions to bites, it is better to consult a doctor. This pest is also dangerous, since allergic reactions can be very strong, for example, with Quincke’s edema.

Some important facts about skin eaters.

• Pests like dry air and do not tolerate wet conditions.
• Bugs love light, so you can lure them out in the evening if you turn on a bright lamp.
• Larvae, on the contrary, prefer dark and secluded places.
• In adverse climatic conditions, the development of larvae slows down, so they will harm the apartment much more. Adult beetles do not harm.

Where leather beetles like to settle

If you began to find damaged things, fecal pellets and old insect skins, then most likely a carpet kozheed has wound up in your house. There are suspicions? Then look into these places and for sure you will find beetles and larvae there:

• on the windowsill, in the drawer, on the stove, in the cupboard of the kitchen set, cabinets;
• under carpets, upholstered sofas, armchairs or beds;
• under the plinth, on ceiling lamps and chandeliers, between window frames.

Pests prefer dry and warm places that have organic food. Nooks and crannies where dust, food particles, hair, carpet lint, paper and other organic debris accumulate and are rarely removed.

Kozheedy in the apartment – how to get rid of folk methods

If you find parasites in your apartment in small numbers, it does not matter where they come from. Action must be taken quickly to eradicate them. First, you can try to get rid of them yourself and without the use of chemicals. To do this, it is necessary to create unbearable conditions for the existence of insects.

1. Increase the humidity in the apartment. Turn on the humidifier regularly, wipe the dust. Then there is a chance that bugs and larvae will leave your house.
2. Kill insects with cold. Pests are afraid of cold temperatures. If you find them in the winter, then you can shake out all the things, take them out into the street, and open the windows and doors wide open. Thus, the parasites will die.
3. Use a vacuum cleaner. In this case, it will be better if you take paper bags for dust. Then after you have vacuumed all the places where the insects settled, it is better to burn the bag.
4. Steam generator. Can be used to exterminate beetles and larvae under baseboards or in window sill crevices where they cannot be reached by other means. It does not give a 100% result, but it works well as an additional remedy or as a prophylactic.
5. Boric acid. Sold in powder form. To get rid of skin beetles, it is necessary to powder all the hard-to-reach and obvious habitats of pests – baseboards, window sills, etc. Using a brush, the powder is rubbed into the surface and sprinkled on top of all treated areas. Boric acid powder is odorless and non-toxic to humans.
6. Vinegar. It is necessary to dilute 1 tablespoon of 70% vinegar in 1 liter of water. The solution is poured into a spray bottle and sprayed on surfaces where the pest has settled. Window sills and baseboards can be wiped with a cloth soaked in vinegar. But this method will not work if the skin-eaters are wound up in things and on soft surfaces – a sofa, carpets, etc.

Leather beetles in the apartment: how to get rid of professional means

If folk remedies don’t work, or you just don’t want to mess around with vinegar or steam generators, you can use insecticides. Experts say that preparations based on organophosphorus compounds, bed bugs and moths are best destroyed by insects. Here are a few of these insecticides that can be used in the apartment.

1. KlopoborECO . The agent is applied to places where insects accumulate, as well as hard surfaces in the apartment – baseboards, window sills, floors in the corners. Upon contact with an insect, the agent violates the integrity of the wax layer of the insect, which leads to dehydration and subsequent death of the skin beetles. It is non-toxic to humans and animals.
2. Blockbuster Double Spray Aerosol . It is convenient in that it has a thin spray tube, thanks to which it is possible to process even hard-to-reach places, from where it is impossible to eradicate insects, and at the same time use the product economically. To get rid of skin-eaters, the aerosol is sprayed onto baseboards under heating radiators, under beds, sofas, cabinets, on the back of shelves. All processing is carried out with open windows. Blockbuster products are available not only in the form of an aerosol, but also in the form of dust, gel, concentrate, spray, insecticidal varnish.
3. KRA station wagon . A universal remedy that also destroys bedbugs, fleas, flies, mosquitoes, etc. The aerosol is sprayed on the accumulation of insects, their habitats and penetration. Processing is carried out from a distance of 20 cm from the surface. It is necessary to use a respirator, carry out the treatment in a closed apartment, and ventilate the room after two hours.

Aerosols containing pyrethroid – permethrin, tetramethrin, imiprotrin, transfluthrin will be effective. A good result can be achieved by using combined treatments with an aqueous solution of chlorophos and boric acid in powder form. For the treatment of premises, it is also recommended to use preparations from the group of synthetic pyrethroids, binary mixtures for the destruction of various non-flying insects, emulsion concentrates based on pyrethroids or their mixtures with organophosphorus insecticides.

In cases where insects have populated the entire apartment and are present in large numbers, it is necessary to call the sanitation service.

Rules for preparing an apartment for processing

Regardless of what is the reason for the appearance of the pest and how you decide to get rid of the skin beetles, for high efficiency, the dwelling should be prepared in advance. You need to do the following.

1. Put all the dishes in the cupboards, clean the surfaces of things and household items. Hide products in inaccessible places.
2. Remove clothes, bed covers and other things where parasites have settled in the cold for 2 hours.
3. Vacuum the apartment, remove all debris, mop the floor.
4. Remove pets and children from the apartment.
5. Handle with respirator and gloves.

Only after cleaning the apartment can you start processing. After you have finished processing, it is necessary that the apartment stand with the windows closed for at least 1-2 hours. After that, open all windows, ventilate the room for 15-20 minutes, wipe the surfaces with which food and people come into contact – tables, shelves, kitchen sets. Do not wipe or wash skirting boards and hard-to-reach places for a week. Use soapy water and gloves for cleaning.

Prevention of the appearance of skin beetles in the apartment

To prevent carpet kozheed from appearing in your apartment, you must follow a few rules.

1. Sort out your clothes twice a year, but try not to let things sit for a long time. Do the same with bedding, towels, bedspreads. Throw away old things.
2. Place sprigs of wormwood, tansy, or lavender in cupboards to keep insects away.
3. Clean and store seasonal clothing in plastic containers or closed airtight bags.
4. Treat places where shoes, clothes, carpets are stored once a year with boric acid.
5. Place mosquito nets on windows.
6. Carefully cover gaps in frames or in joints between frame and window sill.
7. Do general cleaning more often – carefully remove dust from the corners with a vacuum cleaner, and in winter, when the air in the apartment is dry – moisten it.

The main problem in the fight against skin beetles can be called the fact that they are difficult to detect, and the pest larvae are quite mobile and can spread throughout the apartment.

In this case, the pest can be dangerous for animals and especially for children.