HELP PANICKING WORMS IN CLOTHING

amother

Hotpink

Tue, Mar 09 2021, 9:05 pm

If it's carpet beetles I really wouldn't panic or get an exterminator. Just wash everything and keep up with cleaning and dusting. That keeps them at bay. I find them occasionally. They're pretty harmless.

amother

Wed, Mar 10 2021, 1:05 am

I don’t think I’ve ever seen any actual beetles though. Just those weird looking worms. I went through a whole bin of clothes and found a few more. Dumped it all into the wash with vinegar and then again with detergent.

Lydia

Wed, Mar 10 2021, 4:21 am

It's possible to get carpet beetle glue traps. They come with a vial of pheromones that attract the beetles. They won't attract enough beetles to cure the problem, but if you put a few around they can give you a better idea of where in the house the problem is worse. It helps to know where to concentrate your cleaning efforts.

It's really hard to get rid of carpet beetles entirely. Around here, they come in from outside, even on flowers that kids bring in. And they can survive on almost anything: dust, glue of wallpaper or books. The main thing is to protect the stored clothes, like others said. In our house, they really like wool. So it goes into ziploc bags even before it goes into the plastic storage bin. They like cotton too, but they aren't as voracious about it as wool.

I saw once a deterrent spray for things that are in shorter-term storage--like wool coats in the closet that don't get worn all the time, but you don't want to pack away in a box. I don't remember the name, but you might search around if it would be useful.

Lydia

Wed, Mar 10 2021, 4:25 am

The reason you don't see the beetles on the clothes is that they don't really eat. The larva do the main eating. Once the larva turn into beetles, they crawl around the house looking for a mate. If you watch around the house, you might start to notice them. They are really tiny and can come in a variety of colors. Kill them when you see them! Each one produces a lot of eggs.