Carpet beetles? Any ideas on how to get rid of them?

[i-need-a-martini]

I don't want to have the house sprayed (not that it would do much against these pests anyway) so hoping that others might have found a way of eradicating them.

I think the infestation was in the roof cause the house had wool insulation laid a decade or so ago. We had that removed and the roof cleaned out about 5 mnths ago but I am still seeing larvae.

The weird thing is that I never see the beetles - just the larvae.

And the things eat EVERYTHING. Every piece of wool, silk or cotton clothing has holes in it. My books and papers are also being munched through. They have even eaten through the various pest repellent things like moth ball sachets! It's driving me crazy.

[soarhigh7]

Hi there,
I had a carpet beetle problem and found this worked:
I mixed 10 drops of cedarwood oil to 100ml of water in a spray bottle. Shake well before each use because oil and water don't mix. Then i sprayed all over the areas I had seen evidence of carpet beetle. I too had never seen any, only holes in the curtains. I was so surprised to see about 40 carpet beetles dead on my window sill, within a few days. I then sprayed again, and about saw 10 more. I sprayed again a few weeks later and none.
One year later in spring/summer I sprayed again and got a few, a week later and none. No new damage to curtains.
Cedarwood oil causes suffocation and osmotic dehydration to adult carpet beetle and dissolves eggs and larvae.
One website site suggested 10 drops in 250mls of water or alcohol.
It is not harmful to humans. Some study's say the smell helps with concentration and also aids sleep.

I also have had a problem with clothes being eaten. I bought some cedarwood rings to put on coat hangers (cannot touch clothes or could stain) to put on some coat hangers plus dispersed in other spots like the side and bottom of the wardrobe and drawers. Adding a drop of the cedar oil onto the wooden cedar rings every few months or so refreshes the smell. Apparently clothes moths do not like this smell. If you don't like this smell you could also add some other essential oil of your choice on cotton balls (be careful not to let them touch clothes just in case). I think they could be put into material bags or stuck to the sides of the drawers. I read rose oil and lemongrass oils deter alot of insects like moths.

I do not want to use mothballs because for these to work effectively the area must be air tight, if they are just in a wardrobe or draws the fumes emitted are toxic to humans

[soarhigh7]

I also meant to say today the cedarwood/water spray I use on the curtains did not stain, and I have also done a light spray over the lounges and wardrobe clothes. It's just the cedarwood wood that is suppose to stain ie read to never put clothes directly into a chest made of cedarwood.

[johcaschro]

How about you just rip out the carpets and polish the floors? The simple solutions are often the best. 🙂

[lyhargr_0]

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@johcaschro wrote:

How about you just rip out the carpets and polish the floors? The simple solutions are often the best. 🙂

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No so simple, if you cant afford to do it