Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Black Carpet Beetles: Do They Bite?

black beetle in house

Carpet beetles tend to hide under furniture legs, so move furniture and vacuum thoroughly underneath. Basements, attics, and crawl spaces are the best areas for little black bugs to live and breed. Make sure these parts of your home are well ventilated to prevent moisture build-up and to keep bugs out. Another way to identify these bugs is to continually check on your pets and be mindful of any skin irritation that you may develop. If you have small insect bites, you might have fleas or bed bugs in your living space. One common chemical treatment is the application of residual insecticides.

Remove Their Food Source

The shiny black body has red bands or stripes wrapping around it. This beetle species doesn’t fly and it has two wing-like black and red parts attached to its thorax. As its name suggests, the common furniture beetle (Anobium punctatum) can damage wooden structures and furniture. These dark-brown or black beetles are also called wood-boring beetles or house borers. Let’s look in more detail as some of the most common black beetles you can find in your house. We’ll start with what many consider the most destructive type of beetle – the black carpet beetle.

Furniture Beetles

For a more targeted approach, fixing leaks, waterproofing the basement, or running the exhaust fan in bathrooms can also help. Unlike some of the other pests on this list, silverfish and firebrats can cause significant damage if they stick around long enough. It may be prudent to get a professional exterminator on the case if a lot of these bugs seem to be hanging around the house. The adult is 2.8 to 5 mm long, black to reddish brown and covered with short, sparse pubescence (Figure 1).

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They’re sometimes seen as beneficial as they eat many pests such as ants. These beetles can be seen as beneficial when they’re only in their larvae stage. The larvae of the Eastern Eyed Click Beetle are known to feed on black beetles that eat decaying wood. Pillbug is an isopod (not an insect or bug) with a grayish-black segmented body resembling armored plates.

black beetle in house

These beetles measure approximately 5 mm (1/5") in length and have a distinctive yellow-and-black dot striped pattern on their backs. Bronzed tiger beetles are most active during the day and typically mate in the spring. Females lay their eggs in the soil, where the larvae hatch and develop over several weeks.

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At room temperature, the larval life span ranges from 258 to 639 days. This variation is due largely to fluctuations in temperature, food quality, and relative humidity. The larvae may molt 5 to 11 times, and up to 20 times when conditions are unfavorable. The larvae pupate in the last larval skin, and the pupal period may extend from 6 to 24 days. The beetles may remain in the partially shed pupal skin from 2 to 20 days before emerging. Steam cleaning carpets and furniture can help kill carpet beetles, as well.

Black Vine Weevils (Otiorhynchus sulcatus)

Wipe down shelves and cabinets with your regular household cleaner. Don't spray insecticides into your food storage areas; it's unnecessary and will cause more harm than the insects will. When you replace the food items, store them in airtight containers made of plastic or glass.

Red-Lined Carrion Beetle (Necrodes surinamensis)

The bodies of some pinacate beetles are oval, with a smaller oval thorax and head. The black carpet beetle undergoes complete metamorphosis, passing through the egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. This cycle requires two months to two years depending on temperature. All you need to do is put some drops of the oil into water and spray everywhere in your home.

Signs of Little Black Beetles Infestation

The “bugs” are a type of woodlice that grow  0.33” to 0.70” (8.5 – 18 mm) long. The unusual creature has seven pairs of legs and seven main body segments, giving it the look of a tiny armadillo. Also called the common black ant, this species of garden ant can easily find its way into homes.

The hermit flower beetle measures 1” (25 mm) long and is one of the largest black scarab beetles. Some people call this the Junebug because of its resemblance to blackish or reddish June beetles. Although the sizable black beetle is considered a pesky bug, it’s harmless and won’t harm humans or damage property. Stag beetles are enormous black insects measuring around 2.3” (60 mm). Also called the elk beetle, the characteristic feature of the hard-shelled beetle is its powerful antler-like jaws with forked teeth. The eastern-eyed click beetle grows 1” to 1.8” (25 – 45 mm) long.

You could actually bring in these insects from the store when you go to get food products. Silverfish are not harmful or dangerous to humans as they don’t bite and are not poisonous. However, they may cause damage inside the home as they eat paper, fabric, and pantry foods. If a silverfish infestation gets out of hand it’s common to find holes in wallpaper, books, furniture, rugs, and other items around the house.

Astars, lilies, rhododendrons, and lilac are among the plants that these bothersome black insects eat. The adults are attracted to flowers, and in the spring of the year they may fly into the house. At times, birds and other animals die in chimneys and elsewhere in the house and their carcasses become a source of food for the larvae. Very often, the black carpet beetles are brought into the house with old woolens and carpeting. Sometimes the black carpet beetles are introduced into a dwelling in stored products such as dried dog food.

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