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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to be worried about carpet beetles?

36 replies

Mads199 · 09/04/2022 00:24

We get carpet beetles in our flat every spring, granted it has never turned into an infestation thankfully but usually when I see them start popping up around this time, I start a strict cleaning regime, vacuuming like a mad woman and also probably spraying enough pesticide to kill me and DH let alone the bloody bugs. Every spring the adults show up all around our bed, usually seeing 1 every couple of days on the bed frame or (the worst) in the bed, I do this cleaning routine, then eventually by the summer they disappear and we don’t see them again until the next spring. I do think the adults are just venturing in from outside through cracks in our thick baseboards around the bed (at least that’s what I’m telling myself) as I have looked inside, around and under our bed frame and can’t see any signs of infestation in the bed itself.

Things are different this year through, because we have a 3 week old DD. Not only is there no time to do this strict cleaning regime to keep them under control, neither can I go mad spraying the place down with pesticide (I don’t know the impact on babies but I’m guessing it’s a no no!) I have seen four adults this week, all around and in our bed (btw - definitely carpet beetles and not bed bugs, I know bed bugs sadly and this isn’t them at all), and I’m losing my mind a bit. My DD’s crib is right next to our bed and the thought of there being an infestation or any of these bugs getting near her is freaking me out, so much. I called pest control out last year and they basically told me carpet beetles are so common that they don’t actually bother treating them unless it’s an infestation, and in the numbers I’m seeing it’s not an infestation but it’s still enough to seriously make my skin crawl.

DH says I’m being dramatic, that they’re common and that we know they go away in the summer and for the rest of the year so it’s fine. I am a bit neurotic with it yes, but I’m also scared of it turning into an infestation before it’s too late, especially with DD around. It’s all freaking me out loads and making me panic about going to bed (definitely not needed with a newborn) but DH thinks I’m being unreasonable about it and I should just let it go/ we can up the vacuuming and hope for the best.

So what do you think? Am I being unreasonable about this? Should I just let it go and accept that this happens every year so it will probably be fine and won’t turn into an infestation?

OP posts:
byvirtue · 09/04/2022 07:30

Don’t spray especially with a new baby. Just keep hoovering them up. We used to have a problem but some years are worse than others, last year and this year barely any.

boymummys · 09/04/2022 06:55

Do they look like brown lady birds? I have this same problem, they have just started poping up again over the last couple
Of weeks, I have hard wood floors, but in the corner of the room I have a beanbag that I can see them crawling on! I keep hoovering them up, I clean constantly, We have re done all our window sills, re corked them and painted and they still seem to be over them? Im assuming that's how there getting in. There a nightmare, but I have no idea how to get rid of them 😩

JemimaTiggywinkle · 09/04/2022 06:42

We have them in our house, they were here when we moved in 3 years ago.
Was very relieved to finally identify what they were from trawling the internet… had convinced myself they were some kind of woodworm and the house was going to collapse.

I just see the very occasional one and have little dustings of frass on some of the window sills. Apparently wiping window sills with vinegar can help deter them.

They’ve never caused us any harm though, including baby, so I wouldn’t worry.

mycatisannoying · 09/04/2022 06:26

Are you sure they're not bed bugs?

Very annoying anyway!

Oh, and congrats on your new arrival Smile

Rawmum30 · 09/04/2022 01:09

OP, get some diatomaceous earth. It will effectively kill the beetle…. I’ve just searched internet to get that answer….. hope it works for you. 🤞

BlueFkingTicks · 09/04/2022 01:05

I have had them. They don't seem to do any harm - just spray, leave the house for the day if you're worried about fumes

Preworkouttingle · 09/04/2022 01:03

I get them popping up in spring despite the whole house being rewired and re carpeted not long ago. I live in an older building and my neighbour has them too, they’re only a few and vanish again. Common in older buildings. Spray, hoover and they go. They aren’t dirty, they just appear from cracks in spring. Anyone who thinks their house is insect free is kidding themselves. I live next to a river so every time my windows are open we get all sorts coming in Grin. Electric tennis racquet is great for flies…

TwoleftUggs · 09/04/2022 00:55

15 years I’ve lived in a house with a beetle problem similar to yours. I freaked out the first couple of years, but tbh they never get any better or worse, with or without the pesticide (and I never used that after children and pets came along). I just squish as I see them in spring and make sure I vacuum really well in the nooks and crannies regularly. Also we have no carpets downstairs which is where I find a fair few of them so no idea where they actually live.

Thatswhyimacat · 09/04/2022 00:31

Oh and please don't be anxious about your DD - some bugs in the room won't hurt her!

Thatswhyimacat · 09/04/2022 00:30

Admittedly I didn't think carpet beetles was really a thing, but maybe it is. It sounds like spraying pesticide is only getting to the surface and you need to treat the underlying floorboards. I would google whatever kills or repels carpet beetles and make a water solution of it and pour it all over where you usually find them so it soaks in.

IsDaveThere · 09/04/2022 00:26

Are you in the UK? If so, it isn't normal in my experience, I've never known anyone with carpet beetles.

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