How to Get Rid of Beetles

Beetle Types

Beetles are the largest known order of insects in the world with somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000 different beetle species categorised to date.

Luckily there are quite a lot fewer varieties that are common household pests in the UK, but there are still several different to be wary of.

These are the most destructive beetle species commonly found in the UK:

Carpet beetles

Carpet beetles are small beetles, measuring just 1.5-4mm, but are extremely destructive in human homes. Carpet beetle larvae will feed on any products made from wool, feathers, or fabrics.

You can identify carpet beetles by the distinctive black and white scales on their body mixed with a yellow spotted pattern.

Carpet beetle eggs are less than 1mm long and white or cream in colour. The larvae, however, are actually longer than the adult beetles at around 4-5mm long and are black/brown and covered all over in dark hairs.

Cigarette beetles

One of the most common household insect pests in the UK, the cigarette beetle is 2-3mm long and appears to be yellow/brownish and silky due to its many tiny hairs.

These beetles are excellent fliers and are extremely hard to contain due to their ability to feed on almost any food. They are most commonly found in store cupboard products such as cereal or other dried foods. As their name suggest they will also feed on tobacco and have been known to infest manufacturing factories.

Furniture beetles

Furniture beetles, also known as wood boring beetles, are unique from many beetles in that they spend the vast majority of their lives in the larvae stage. Furniture beetles are by far the most common form of woodworm in the UK.

Female furniture beetles will lay their eggs in the cracks in wood often nearby to where they themselves emerged as an adult. After a few weeks, these eggs will hatch into larvae around 1mm long which will begin to burrow through starch filled veins in the wood.

The larvae will do this for several years, growing up to 7mm before finally maturing and living their final few days in the open before dying. Given the damage that a large number of these beetle’s larvae can do to wooden structures they can have a devastating effect on furniture, and even compromise a building’s entire structure by worming their way through wooden beams.

Adult furniture beetles are easily identifiable by their humped appearance with their thorax covering their heads like a monk’s robe.

Ground beetles

These large black or violet beetles are commonly found in gardens across the UK. Growing up to 25mm, ground beetles can appear slightly frightening, however, having these insects on your property is actually very beneficial.

Adult ground beetles and their larvae hunt all sorts of insects, slugs, and other plant pests which can cause havoc in your garden. They will very rarely venture indoors, and garden beetles are not usually considered pests.

Larder Beetles

Part of the Dermestid family of beetles, larder beetles are prolific scavengers feeding on any scraps of food from chicken and ham to dead rodents. As their name suggests, these pantry pests are most frequently found in areas of your home or business where food is stored.

Larder beetles have a very distinctive pale brown band running across their otherwise entirely black bodies and grow to around 7-10mm long.

More Beetles

Other more uncommon insect species that people may come across in the UK include Japanese beetles and Asian beetles, but these are unlikely to cause significant pest control issues.

Signs of a beetle infestation

If you physically find beetles scuttling about in your property, identifying your pest problem will be relatively simple.

These pesky crawling insects won’t always make it that easy though and sometimes you will need to look out for more subtle signs of beetle infestations.

These are 4 of the most common tell-tale indications that beetles may be present inside your property:

1) Fabric Damage

Carpet beetles are one of the most common pest species to inhabit homes in the UK.

Given their small size it can be difficult to spot carpet beetles and the first sign of their presence will often be bare patches or holes in fabric items such as carpets, furniture, and rugs.

Larvae will feast on the natural fibres of such fabric and if no action is taken a carpet beetle infestation can cause significant and irreparable harm which will cost thousands to replace. Identifying fabric damage early on is, therefore, the best way to find carpet beetles before it’s too late.

2) Woodworm

The most obvious sign that furniture beetles or another species of wood boring beetles is infesting your home is the presence of exit holes in wood or timber.

These holes will generally be 2-5mm wide and if there is a large infestation there will be many holes grouped together.

Unfortunately, by the time an exit hole appears the wood will already be damaged, possibly beyond repair.

You should also keep an eye out for bore dust, which is the waste produced by woodworm beetles as they chew through the wood. Bore dust will appear as very fine wood shavings or sawdust and will likely be found on or around infested items.

3) Holes in Food

Another sign of beetle infestations is holes bored into food packaging such as cereal boxes and bags of pet food.

Larvae will also burrow directly into food sources so look out for holes in fruit and vegetables, blocks of cheese, and any other packaged foods.

If these are present there is a good chance that larder beetles, cigarette beetles or similar are inhabiting your kitchen or warehouse.

You may also see spilled food nearby as beetles don’t exactly tidy up after helping themselves to your food.

4) Discarded Skin

During the Larvae stage of their life cycle, beetles must regularly shed their exoskeleton as they grow. If this moulting process is taking place on your property, you may find a variety of empty brown skin cases lying near the infestation location.

Finding discarded skins not only helps to indicate the presence of beetles but will also allow a pest management professional to identify exactly what species you are dealing with.

Why are beetles attracted to my home?

Before you can develop your beetle prevention plan you need to understand why beetles find your home an attractive place in the first place.

Just some of the attractions of living near humans for beetles and other small insects include:

Warmth

When temperatures drop beetles often look for somewhere they can stay warm to lay their eggs and to ensure their survival until the warmer months.

Heated domestic homes are therefore extremely appealing.

Protection

Beetles love to set up in dark and quiet corners to avoid the threat of predators.

Your home has lots of such places and you should check areas that often go undisturbed for long periods of time such as the loft, behind your fridge, or inside air vents.

Food

Beetle diets vary by species but no matter the insects preferred food source your home probably has it in abundance.

Carpet beetles will feed on your fabrics, larder and cigarette beetles on your food and food packaging, and wood boring beetles on your furniture and wooden beams.

There is nowhere else that provides such a range of suitable sustenance, and it is no surprise to see beetles inside homes as a result.

 

Beetle prevention

Deterring beetles from entering your home at all, is the best form of beetle control possible.

Once you have rid your home of an existing infestation the last thing you want is for new beetles to replace them instantly. Following these steps will ensure this doesn’t happen and you stay beetle free for good.

These are some of the best natural ways to prevent beetles from gaining access to your home and making it a less attractive place to be if they do find a way in:

Seal Entry Points

Exclusion is the best way to get rid of beetles permanently and if insects can’t find a way in, they won’t be able to cause you a problem.

Beetles don’t need a big gap to get inside your home so you should use fresh caulk to reinforce the seals around windows, doors, and air vents.

You could also place a screen behind air vents so small insects won’t be able to sneak through the slats.

This will be an ongoing process and you will have to frequently examine interior and exterior walls for cracks to seal if you are to be successful.

Peppermint Oil

The smell of peppermint is extremely effective in repelling a range of insects including most beetles.

You can use it in a number of ways, either spraying your perimeter with a spray bottle or by diluting the oil with water or by soaking cotton wool balls with it and placing them in potential beetle hiding spots.

Protect Food Sources

Easy access to food is a major attraction of human homes so making sure you are tidying up in the kitchen will help keep beetles away.

Simply using air tight containers for all open human and pet food will make a big difference, as will cleaning dirty dishes promptly and ensuring food waste is disposed of in sealed bags.

How to get rid of beetles

If you have noticed beetle activity or discovered an existing infestation inside your property you need to take immediate action.

The easiest and most effective way to get rid of beetles is by contacting a professional pest control company such as Clark Pest Control.

If you want to try and tackle your beetle problem on your own, then there are a few DIY methods you can.

These include:

Insect traps

Insect traps that you can purchase at most hardware stores and garden centres can be an effective way to kill beetles.

Glue traps are useful for crawling insects and work by attacking beetles onto the sticky pad using an enticing scent or a bait such as dried fruits. Once they enter the pad they will be held fast and will eventually die.

These traps are an affordable and easy way to catch insects but will likely be ineffective on large infestations as you would need a huge number of traps to deal with an entire beetle population.

Chrysanthemum Flowers

Pyrethrin is a natural compound extracted from the chrysanthemum Flower which is deadly to beetles.

Simply spray pyrethrin on any beetles you see and they will die almost instantly.

Again, whilst this is certainly an effective way to kill these pests it is a very time consuming and manual process that is not a viable solution to a large infestation.

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth is another natural beetle killer you can try. Made from crushed algae, this powder is completely harmless to children and pets but deadly for beetles, slicing through their exoskeleton and causing death by dehydration mere hours after contact.

Sprinkle a line of this powder along access points, around your perimeter, and near where you have seen beetles before to have the best effect.

Cleaning

The first thing you should do when you discover the source of beetles in your property is to thoroughly vacuum the area.

Once you have done this, you should vacuum the entirety of the rest of your home, using the appropriate attachments to clean hard to reach areas, and wash all furniture with hot soapy water.

To make this process more effective, sprinkle boric acid onto your carpets and rugs and leave it for several hours before vacuuming. Boric acid kills adult beetles, their larvae, and their eggs upon impact but can also irritate pets so avoid having them in the area during this process.

Contact a Professional

Getting rid of a beetle infestation is not an easy task and if you are struggling, or simply wish the process to be dealt with as quickly and as efficiently as possible, then contact Clark Pest Control today.

Professional pest control companies like Clark Pest Control have BPCA accredited technicians ready to eliminate your beetle problem at a moment’s notice.

We have local offices in 22 cities throughout the UK, meaning that Clark Pest Control can offer a super fast service for any pest infestations which might be affecting your home or business.

To talk to one of our personnel about arranging a free survey, or to book in some pest control service, give us a call now on 0800 808 5615.

Alternatively, complete our contact form, and one of our sales representatives will be in touch as soon as possible.