Carpet beetles are a name not known to everyone. These dangerous pests can cause irreparable damage to the interior and clothing. To minimize damage, it is important to take the necessary measures in a timely manner. Every housewife should have an idea of how to get rid of skin beetles. This knowledge will come in handy if you have to solve a problem with parasites.
- Damage caused by beetles
- Temperature control method
- Fighting with special and folk remedies Boric acid
- Permitrin
- Borax
- Raptor
- Vinegar
- Appliances
Damage caused by beetles
For a significant portion of citizens, the leather beetle is an unfamiliar insect. Having no idea what this bug looks like, the owners cannot detect its presence in the house.
Smirnov's carpet beetle is a small insect, the length of which is about 5-10 mm. It has a strong brown shell, on top of which there are small stripes that stand out in color. The body has small villi. If you carefully examine the beetles, you will be able to detect a long, small tuft, similar to a tail. There are two most popular types: Smirnov’s leather beetle and ham beetle.
Finding uninvited guests in an apartment is not easy. They are often carried on clothes, shoes, flowers, and pets. They can easily penetrate an unclosed window.
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These insects are nocturnal inhabitants that are not immediately detectable. Therefore, it is not always possible to take quick measures to exterminate them. As a result, skin beetles manage to lay eggs and gradually begin to capture “new territories.” Usually, owners become aware of the presence of skin beetles only after noticeable passages gnawed by insects begin to appear on furniture items. In addition, bite marks may appear on human skin.
The size of the beetle is small, but the harm from its activities can be serious. In particular:
- Material damage. This is due to the gluttony of insects, which begin to eat everything that, in our opinion, cannot be edible. Furniture, natural and leather fabrics are damaged. Carpets end up with bald spots after beetles. Uninvited guests are able to take a fancy to the sofa, and having made their way into the closet, they will hasten to spoil a significant part of the wardrobe there.
- Harm to the health of people living in the premises. Like all other insects, the skin beetle can provoke an allergic reaction. In addition, the pest can spread infectious diseases and bite strongly. The skin beetle larva is not blood-sucking, so it does not attack people.
The insect bite is usually not felt. There is slight redness in the affected area, and the area may itch. In people with sensitive skin, this redness will be more pronounced. Patients suffering from an allergic reaction also face a similar problem. In addition, swelling often appears at the bite sites.
Important! The carpet beetle is dangerous due to its ability to spread infections. The bite of this insect often causes human infection. Therefore, the affected area must be disinfected.
Thus, if an “unpleasant “neighbor” is found in the house, urgent measures must be taken. Not only adult representatives of this species are subject to extermination, but also larvae and eggs. There are many ways to fight parasites.
How to find them?
Carpet beetles are known to hide in the dark and in secluded areas of your home.
Many people confuse them with bedbugs, and they also infest beds by feeding on dead skin cells and sheets.
However, unlike bedbugs, they do not bite you. They will irritate your skin, especially if you have an allergic reaction to them.
However, they don't bite. At worst, you will most likely develop bite-like marks on your skin if you ever come into contact with these carpet beetles.
However, they eat fabrics in your home, so if you find damage in your linens and sheets, then you most likely have bark beetles in your home.
However, unlike moths, they feed on one piece of tissue at a time. So the damage will be large and isolated holes in your fabric.
As they feed, they shed their skin to continue growing. Faded skin is often translucent and flaky. They often shed their skin in the same area where they feed.
Temperature control method
Carpet beetles exhibit sensitivity to sudden temperature changes. Indicators below zero are lethal for these insects. This factor is only beneficial in the fight against parasites. The affected items are taken out into the cold and left there for at least 5 hours.
Important! To achieve the cherished goal, contaminated objects must be kept at a temperature no higher than -15, -20 degrees.
You will need to freeze things more than once, and you will need to alternate with above-zero temperatures. By the way, this method will help get rid of any insects.
Some things are placed in the freezer compartment for several hours. This method will also give the expected result. After freezing, items should be washed in soapy water.
A microclimate with a temperature of +5 degrees Celsius is also destructive for skin beetles at different stages of development. The carpet beetle falls into a state of torpor, stops feeding, and then dies completely.
High temperatures are also contraindicated for this insect. At +60 degrees or more it dies. If the affected materials are resistant to elevated temperatures, then you can get rid of the annoying pest through disinfestation with heated air. The duration of processing is set in accordance with the characteristics of the material properties. So, for example, things made of felt should be processed for 3 hours, no less.
Temperature exposure is an effective method, but does not guarantee a 100% result. To remove insects, an integrated approach is required, combining a similar method with chemical methods.
Removal sequence
Skin beetles must be removed in the correct sequence:
- First you need to find their habitat . There may be several of them, so it is necessary to carefully examine every corner of the house.
- The next step should be general cleaning . You should try to collect as many parasites as possible with a vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner bag should be shaken out very vigorously, or simply thrown away. It’s also good if you have a water vacuum cleaner, then the pests will definitely not run away after cleaning.
- After cleaning, you can begin disinfestation . It must be done very carefully and try to get to all possible crevices in order to completely get rid of the beetles.
- After treating the house, you need to monitor the possible appearance of insects and, if skin beetles are detected again, disinfection must be repeated.
Fighting with the help of special and folk remedies
There are enough options for how to get skin beetles out of your apartment, but not all of them are widely known. The fight against established parasites should begin with thorough cleaning. You will have to look into all the places, not excluding the most remote ones. A vacuum cleaner with a water filter should be used to clean hard-to-reach parts of the house. Particular attention should be given to those corners where no one has looked for a long time.
You should not hope that you will be able to get rid of the entire colony of insects at one time. Measures to exterminate them must be repeated every day for a week. By doing a thorough general cleaning, it will be possible to destroy the larvae, egg laying and adult representatives.
When using a standard vacuum cleaner, it is necessary, after completing each cleaning procedure, to change the filter and quickly take it to the trash can, preventing insects from crawling.
Physical methods have not been canceled, but they will be effective in situations where the locations of parasites are quickly discovered, and the insects have not had the opportunity to breed and settle. It is possible to get rid of skin beetles that have spread throughout the entire living space only through chemicals.
Boric acid
Of all the known folk recipes for eliminating carpet beetles, boric acid in powder form takes the lead.
It will be possible to get rid of the invasion of parasites if every corner, baseboard, and all places difficult to reach for humans are treated with powdered boric acid. Using a regular brush, rub this product into the surface. In addition, it is recommended to sprinkle powder on all treated areas.
Boric acid does not pose a threat to humans; not all chemical compositions can boast of such an advantage. It is also important that it has no smell.
Permitrin
Permitrin is a chemical composition, the main component of which is a natural contact insecticide - pyrethrin. This substance, once in the body of beetles, affects the nervous system: nerve impulses lose the ability to be transmitted. As a result, the insects develop complete paralysis. This composition is non-toxic for people; there is no doubt about its safety.
Permitrin is valuable because it is capable of eliminating both the adult generation of skin beetles and their larvae. You can purchase the composition at any pharmacy; the release forms are different. The drug is available in the form of a solution or an aerosol, whichever suits you.
Most insecticides are harmless to humans and pets. However, it is still worth exercising caution during their use. Such measures will help avoid possible poisoning. This is important for those families raising small children. All actions with such drugs should be carried out strictly according to the instructions.
Borax
Borax is an effective drug that helps exterminate colonies of various insects (we are talking about ants, fleas, cockroaches, silverfish and beetles). The main active component of the product is boron.
The purchased composition is applied in a thin layer to problem areas. In addition, you can make insect bait. To do this, the product should be mixed with honey or corn syrup.
Raptor
Raptor is an insecticide produced in the form of aerosols. The product is inferior in effectiveness only to specialized solutions. But, in most situations, its use is justified.
The action of the drug is based on the penetration of active components into the chitinous layer of the insect. This ends in paralysis and inevitable death for him. The larvae lack a chitinous layer, so they die faster.
The advantage of aerosol preparations is their availability. But they also differ in increased consumption. Aerosol Raptor should be used with extreme caution. It is toxic, so safety precautions must be followed. After treatment with this composition, the room is left for 30 minutes. Then it must be thoroughly ventilated. After 1-2 days, general cleaning is required; it is advisable not to live in the room during this period.
Vinegar
Table vinegar is an excellent remedy used to exterminate skin beetles. 1 large spoon of the product is poured into a container with 1 liter of warm water. After thorough mixing, the resulting mass should be poured into a spray bottle. The composition is sprayed in those areas that are affected by the skin beetle.
If bugs were noticed on the windowsill, baseboards, or shelves, then these areas can be wiped with a rag soaked in vinegar. Carpet beetles do not like vinegar. Therefore, they will rush to leave the premises in search of a new favorable environment.
Appliances
No matter how strange it may sound, some household appliances are excellent helpers in the fight against the annoying skin beetle.
The optimal solution is to use a vacuum cleaner. It is advisable to use devices with disposable paper bags; they can then be burned with their contents. The affected areas are treated with a vacuum cleaner for several days.
A steam generator is another household tool that allows you to exterminate bugs in hard-to-reach areas, including under baseboards and in window sill cracks. However, the use of such a device does not give 100% results. It will be a good addition to other products. When carrying out preventive measures, a steam generator is indispensable.
The procedure for exterminating skin beetles can be carried out using fumigators - small electrical devices that plug into an outlet. Insecticides for them are produced either in the form of tablets or in liquid form.
The action of the fumigator is based on heating the drug, as a result of which it begins to spread toxic substances through the air, which penetrate into every corner of the room. These toxins cannot harm people, but they will have the desired effect on bugs.
The advantages of this processing method:
- manages to cover a significant area;
- you don't need to put in any extra effort.
The only negative is that the product requires electricity to operate.
In order to feel the results as quickly as possible, the device is placed close to the places where the most insects are found. You need to be patient, as it will take about 2 weeks to completely get rid of the problem.
This method of control is not the main one, but only additional to a set of measures aimed at exterminating parasites. It is good to use to prevent skin beetle attacks.
Harris Boric Acid Roach
The product contains boric acid crystals. In the process of fighting insects, sharp crystals should be scattered in those places where adults and larvae are found. Particular attention should be paid to hard-to-reach places, cracks in the floor, carpeting, and secluded corners of the room that leather beetles like to favor. Boric acid is an inorganic insecticide and has a contact-intestinal effect. The death of the insect occurs on the eighth day after the start of application. Getting into the skin beetle's digestive tract, boric acid destroys its walls and disrupts the body's water balance. The death of an individual occurs as a result of severe dehydration. The manufacturer's recommendations indicate that during the disinsection process it is necessary to pay special attention to the cleanliness of the room and periodically sprinkle the product in designated areas. The drug is moderately dangerous (class three) and can be used in residential areas. It is odorless, but visible to humans: you will notice small crystals where they were scattered. The cost of the drug is approximately 700 rubles.
Buy the drug
Common mistakes when fighting skin beetles
When studying the question of how to deal with skin beetles in a house or apartment, the mistakes that inexperienced housewives often make must be taken into account. Such nuances often nullify all efforts made to exterminate the skin beetle.
- Insufficiently thorough processing.
A large area must be treated - the entire floor, and interior items, furniture, to a height of at least 1.5 meters. As a rule, beetles are limited to this zone. Spot treatment of any individual areas will not bring the desired effect.
- Ignoring the processing frequency.
Most of the compounds used to get rid of skin beetles can have an effect on adult representatives of the species and larvae. But they can’t cope with eggs. Some time after the measures taken, a new generation will emerge from these eggs. After the first treatment, another one must be carried out.
- Failure to comply with drug dosage recommendations.
Fearing the toxicity of the chemical composition used during exposure, many owners dilute the drugs not in the dosage prescribed in the instructions, but in a much smaller one. Such negligence will result in serious consequences. It will be possible to destroy only the most weakened individuals. Those representatives who turned out to be stronger not only survive, but also become immune to this drug.
Advice! If one of your family members is diagnosed with asthma or often experiences allergic reactions, it is better to turn to folk remedies. Wet cleaning is required.
If the measures taken turn out to be ineffective, then the tenant with health problems will have to be relocated to relatives for some period. During this time, the apartment is carefully processed.
Kozheed: appearance and behavioral characteristics
Externally, leather beetles are quite inconspicuous. They reach from 1 to 12 mm in length and have an oval (less often almost round) body shape. The outer integument is brown with a variegated pattern and is often punctured. The skin beetle larva has a spindle-shaped body and is covered with long protruding hairs, which form a kind of “tail” in the back of the body. The eggs have an oval shape, where the width is several times greater than the length, and their color at different periods of time varies from milky white to yellow. The pest prefers bright, dry places with low humidity to live. It lays eggs once or twice a year, and the individual (on average) develops to adulthood within a year. After hatching, the larvae are extremely mobile and active at any time of the day. After entering the pupal stage, their activity noticeably decreases (but does not stop) for about 5-20 days (depending on environmental conditions). The diurnal cycle of an adult individual practically coincides with that of a human; it also wakes up at sunrise and falls asleep after sunset (although some representatives of the species are also active at night).
Preventive actions
It is easier to prevent any problem than to try to solve it later using complex methods. In order not to lead the situation to the use of chemicals, it is necessary to carefully monitor the order and condition of the apartment or house.
Following these recommendations will help with this:
- old unused items made of wool, leather and fur should be thrown away. There is no need to store this warehouse in the apartment;
- The rooms must be thoroughly cleaned regularly. If this condition is met, it will be possible to minimize the risk of suffering not only from carpet beetles, but also from other pests;
- It is best to store hats, fur coats and other fur products in separate cases or trunks, where anti-moth tablets are also added. Dried lavender plants are an alternative. It is advisable to purchase cases from durable materials. They are expensive, but they are of excellent quality. This thing will last a long time;
- In summer there should be mosquito nets on the windows. This measure will help protect the room from insects;
- carpeted surfaces should be vacuumed more than once a week;
- If you have a steam generator, treating surfaces with steam is the best prevention.
Carpet beetles are dangerous insects that can infest homes and cause irreparable harm to human homes. Taking certain preventive measures will help minimize the likelihood of such a problem occurring.
If insects have already settled in the apartment, you need to immediately begin measures aimed at exterminating them. It is better to use not just one method, but a complex: mechanical, physical and chemical. In this case, you can get rid of insects quickly and without consequences.
Reasons for the appearance of skin beetles in an apartment
As a rule, people bring carpet beetles into their apartments themselves. Parasites prefer fur items, as well as accumulations of old books. The spread of insects throughout the apartment is often observed after cleaning a closet or warehouse, when the pests begin to hide in other places, away from bright light. When it’s warm outside, beetles have no problem entering apartments through open windows if they don’t have mosquito nets. They can often be seen in the spaces between window frames or in street lighting shades.
Pest control services
Apartment owners who are not confident in their abilities can turn to professionals for help. Disinsection against annoying skin beetles is carried out by special services. Employees of such companies have all the necessary arsenal to exterminate parasites. This is not only special equipment and destructive means, but also possession of certain knowledge and skills.
The problem will be resolved as soon as possible. Objects and property treated during disinfestation will be reliably protected for a long period from such a disaster.
Rating of pest control companies
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the rating of companies from which you can order disinfestation against skin beetles in an apartment, at home, or in domestic premises. The website provides up-to-date information, contact details, and estimated cost of services.
Is the skin beetle dangerous for humans, and if so, why?
If we talk about the danger a beetle that appears in an apartment poses, then absolutely all objects that contain substances of animal origin are at risk.
+7(495)255-38-53
Unified number of the sanitary and epidemiological station in Moscow
Skin beetles feed primarily on human food, showing particular liking for meat products, cheese, fish, milk powder, and some grain products. This means that as soon as you leave food in the public domain, it can be thrown away due to its unsuitability. However, industrial products will not cause pests: glue, leather, fur, wool, feathers, etc. Therefore, the fight against them is considered especially relevant for collectors, stuffed animals, books, herbariums, whose entomological and zoological exhibits are increasingly damaged by pests today.
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But all these are just secondary threats. If we talk about direct harm to humans, some specialized services highlight barely perceptible bites and the risk of contracting various diseases (for example, helminthiasis). However, there is no official confirmation that the leather beetle acts as a carrier of any infections, so we will not scare you with them.
