Sharon from Pa writes
We are treating all baseboards throughout the house, every two months. At present, there few larvae, but there are still numerous flying beetles, and most seem to be coming from a 20 x 20 ft room with "Vermont board siding", which has verticle spaces everywhere (every 4 to 6 inches). Is the baseboard Cy-Kick CS treatment sufficient or should I change the course. There is lots of vacuuming (discarding bags after use) of the entire house, all clothing in the house is in plastic bags and there are no issues with food. Any ideas or any source for detailed information on how to deal with a house wide issue with carpet beetles?
It is very important that the source of the infestation (where the damaging larva is harboring) is discovered and eliminated, not just the visible insects you see wandering around. Until you find out what that is and deal with it you will continue to get more of the carpet beetles emerging from hiding. Carpet beetles may be as likely to feed on grain based food materials as they are on animal byproducts. Pet foods stored in forgotten places, baking goods left too long in the cupboard, rodent baits tossed in the attic - all of these are quite susceptible to carpet beetle feeding. Plus, you also have the typical carpet beetle diets of dead insects (wasp nests in the attic, dead insects in window sills), feathers (bird nests, dead birds), hair (dead rodents, wool products, trophy mounts), and other things made from animal byproducts. Once the source of the infestation is removed or cleaned, use Cy-Kick CS and Gentrol IGR once a month until all of the beetles are gone. Gentrol IGR will help break the breeding cycle of the beetles and will help eliminate them for good.
Answer last updated on: 04/02/2012
