Mistaken for moth damage, but the culprit is a bristly larva living in the carpet pile under furniture that never moves.
Adults fly in through windows and are drawn to light, then lay on anything containing keratin — wool, silk, felt, hair, feathers. The larvae do all the feeding and avoid light completely, so damage appears in undisturbed places and is found long after it started.
The larval bristles irritate skin and can trigger a rash or an allergic reaction in sensitive people. The main cost, though, is the carpets, rugs and stored woollens they quietly destroy.
Thorough treatment of carpet edges, under furniture and along skirting, where the larvae actually live, combined with removing and cleaning infested textiles. Where numbers are high we treat the roof void or bird nesting sites that fed the population in the first place.
Practical steps that make a repeat infestation far less likely after treatment.
Vacuum under beds and heavy furniture, not only the open floor
Store wool and silk clean, in sealed bags
Fit screens to windows — the adults fly in from outside
Clear old bird nests from eaves and roof voids; they are a common source
The things people ask us most before booking this treatment.
They're easy to confuse. Carpet beetle larvae leave shed bristly skins along skirting and carpet edges, and the adults are small, rounded and mottled — often found on windowsills. Moths leave webbing instead. The treatment differs, so it's worth identifying properly.
The larvae avoid light completely, so they feed where nothing moves — under beds, heavy furniture and along carpet edges. By the time a bare patch appears, they've usually been there for months.
The larval bristles irritate skin and can cause a rash that's sometimes mistaken for bites. They don't bite — but if you're reacting, that's a reason to find and treat the source rather than just the symptom.
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