Pest guide
Carpet Beetle Guides
Identify carpet beetles and their larvae, find the source, vacuum and wash what they’re feeding on, and keep them out of rugs, closets and beds.
6 guides · Updated Oct 10, 2026
Identify
4 guidesWork out what you’re dealing with from droppings, damage and sightings.
Carpet Beetle Larvae: What They Look Like, Where They Hide
Carpet beetle larvae are fuzzy, slow, tan-to-brown grubs about 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, and they’re the stage that eats wool. Vacuum where they feed, then hot-wash or freeze what they touched.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · 8 min read
Carpet Beetle vs Bed Bug: How to Tell Them Apart
Hairy, or round like a tiny ladybug? Carpet beetle: it eats wool, not you. A flat, reddish-brown oval the size of an apple seed, or dark seam spots, means bed bugs.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · 8 min read
Signs of Carpet Beetles: Shells, Poop and Fabric Damage
Bristly shed skins, salt-grain poop and chewed patches in wool mean larvae are feeding indoors. A few adults on a windowsill don’t. Check with a flashlight, tape and $8 of sticky traps.
Updated Oct 4, 2026 · 8 min read
Carpet Beetles: What They Look Like and How to Be Sure
A carpet beetle is a tiny round beetle, 1/16 to 3/16 inch, often on windowsills. Hairy larvae or bristly skins mean they’re breeding indoors. Flat and reddish? Likely a bed bug.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · 9 min read
Get Rid of Pests
1 guideStep-by-step plans for pests already in the house.
Identify the species
Pictures, size and look-alikes in the Pest Library.
Not a carpet beetle?
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