8 Steps To Get Rid of Carpet Beetles in Walls

Carpet beetles are a pain in a neck that can wreak havoc on natural fibers, especially those found in wallpaper and wall upholstery. How can you get rid of beetles and keep your walls intact?

Keeping your house clean is the first step to getting rid of carpet beetles. Clean wall surfaces thoroughly using a combination of vacuuming and steam cleaning. Launder linens and other items that are infested with carpet beetle larvae and eggs. Apply insecticide to infested walls as needed.

If keeping your house clean is the key, there are several steps you can take to make sure that carpet beetles do not appear in your wall crevices and other places. They will help you get rid of carpet beetles not only on your walls, but throughout your home as well.

Here’s How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles in Walls

Here are some steps you can take to get rid of carpet beetles in walls.

Look around walls for signs of beetle infestation

The chief sign of this is the damage they cause.

Holes in your upholstery are one sign, for example.

You can also look for beetle larvae, eggs, and droppings, which we will talk more about in a bit. These can be found in crevices and other locations near your wall.

Vacuum areas near walls with signs of infestation

Carpets, rugs, and other surfaces made from natural fibers are places one should vacuum.

Even if there are no signs of infestation on these surfaces, it never hurts to clean up!

Steam clean after vacuuming

Steam clean surfaces that have been vacuumed to be sure to get rid of any carpet beetles that are resistant to vacuuming.

Dispose of any seriously infested material

Dispose of any seriously infested material, including cloth, clothing, and curtains, if possible.

The more damaged they are, the more likely they are to have carpet beetles that will eventually damage your walls.

Keeping infested materials makes it more likely that the infestation won’t be under control.

Apply insecticide on areas you cannot vacuum/steam

This is especially important for places such as walls where vacuuming is difficult or impossible.

Use an insecticide that specifically mentions carpet beetles, and wear gloves and a mask to protect yourself from fumes or liquid. Spray affected surfaces only as needed.

Apply Boric Acid in Wall Voids

The boric acid treatment works especially in attics or wall voids where carpet beetles may be found. Sprinkle the affected areas with boric acid powder.

You can also make a spray by combining a tablespoon of boric acid with 2 cups of hot water and stirring. Apply the spray over hard-to-reach crevices.

Use Hormone-based Carpet Beetle Traps

Serious carpet beetle infestations require hormone-based traps. Leave them near your wall, entry points around your home, and other confined areas.

You can obtain them from pest control specialist stores, or online. Remember to read the directions on how to use them!

When all else fails, call in a specialist

They can work to get rid of eggs, larvae, and adult beetles in hard-to-reach places, or when an infestation is very serious. We will talk more about this later.

Why Are Carpet Beetles Bad for Walls

Carpet beetles are a nuisance, but the ones that cause the most damage are carpet beetle larvae.

You can tell what they look like because they are long, slightly larger than the head of a pin, sometimes hairy, and are brown, red, white, or striped.

Adult beetles are oval-shaped and somewhat smaller than larvae. A magnifying glass near carpet beetle damage might reveal their presence.

Carpet beetles, like all other bugs, tend to come from outside. They cling onto clothing or fly through windows and doors. That is why we encourage using traps near openings in houses when infestation is very serious.

These larvae can eat natural fibers. When it comes to walls, particularly vulnerable things include upholstery and wallpaper. Wood is also vulnerable, as it is a naturally fibrous object.

Wall damage can happen when carpet beetle larvae eat into wood. For as long as they have food and shelter, they can thrive.

It isn’t obvious when a carpet beetle infestation reveals itself. You should be aware that larvae often emerge from where adult beetles lay their eggs—in dark and secluded spaces.

The only way you can tell if carpet beetles have damaged your walls is if you can see the damage. Think of wallpaper that has holes in them that seem not to be caused by wear and tear, for instance.

How To Prevent a Carpet Beetle Infestation in Walls

The key to making sure your home, especially your walls, are protected from carpet beetles is to prevent them from infesting your place.

This is especially true during certain times of the year when these beetles thrive. Spring is when carpet beetle infestations largely occur, as this is the time when these beetles lay their eggs.

Spring cleaning is a very good time to get rid of potential carpet beetle infestation before it becomes more serious. The steps we recommend, especially vacuuming and steam cleaning, are some things to do.

Clear all outdoor sources of carpet beetles near your home, especially bird and rodent nests and insect hives where these can thrive. Keep all openings such as doors and walls sealed.

Apart from cleaning up when there is a carpet beetle infestation, regular house cleaning is key. Vacuum vulnerable surfaces frequently, at least once every two weeks. Wash all clothes and fabrics frequently as well, as they can carry carpet beetles into your home.

Finally, it’s best to minimize the use of organic fabrics and other materials that have natural fibers. Synthetic materials are less attractive to carpet beetles. These are good choices for wallpaper and upholstery in walls, so choose wisely.

Do You Need to Call In An Expert

The steps we recommend are those you can do yourself to prevent infestations, especially when they are not that serious.

However, we have already said that it is hard to detect a carpet beetle infestation until we see the damage. We may not know if it is something that is just isolated to one spot or has spread throughout the house.

Wall voids are particularly difficult places to reach for people who are not expert. These are places where adult carpet beetles lay their eggs and where larvae tend to thrive. These are places where they can eat into walls from the inside out.

Expert exterminators know how to make their way into hard to treat spots. They have the tools and the insecticides that can reach into crevices and other hard-to-reach spaces and, yes, wall voids.

The purpose is to kill off larvae and adult carpet beetles, get rid of beetle eggs and droppings and clean the place of every trace of damage.

Pest control experts will also be able to help you with preventing future infestations. They may even recommend tips like those we suggested.

And when you are in doubt about whether your own pest control measure works, don’t hesitate to ask them for help.

Carpet beetle infestations are sure to happen in some places, and they have the experience to deal with them.

Remember, the key to fighting the carpet beetle annoyance in your walls is to keep your house clean. That is the first thing that counts. The second thing is to take steps to stop these infestations before they become worse. And when the worst happens, call in an expert!