Carpet Pests Australia

Carpet treatment and protection.

Carpet pests australia.

Most species of carpet beetle measure 1 to 4 mm in length as adults. Carpet beetles and carpet beetle larvae are similar in appearance to khapra beetle trogoderma granarium an exotic beetle which poses a quarantine threat to australia. Robert child and david pinniger two of the uk s foremost experts on pest management in the historic environment investigate carpet beetles and clothes moths considering the life cycles of these insect pests. These insect pests can infect a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and destroy them.

Carpet beetle larvae will eat all manner of animal material including wool fur silk felt feathers and leather. Carpet beetles are found throughout australia and can handle lower humidity than clothes moths so are also found inland from the coast. How to recognise them. They have a small wing span only 14 to 18 mm.

Synthetics aren t so much at risk. The larvae do all the damage the adults only eat pollen. In australia there are two fruit fly species that are of major concern to home gardeners and commercial fruit growers queensland fruit fly bactrocera tryoni and the mediterranean fruit fly ceratitis capitata. Australian carpet beetle anthrenocerus australis furniture carpet beetle anthrenus flavipes black carpet beetle attagenus unicolor learn more below about the different types of textile pests found in australia.

To protect against insect attack woolen carpet yarn is treated with an insect resistant chemical to woolmark standard cp 4 2013. Their bodies are oval shaped. When you see signs of an infestation including. Three distinct golden hairs are located upon the abdomen at this.

The eggs are only 1mm long but once hatched into larvae search for food immediately and along with wool can consume cotton linen and silk. Carpet beetles are persistent pests that can eat away at your carpets clothing and other fabrics. Black white and yellow patterned coloration some species of carpet beetle may also exhibit orange coloration. Signs that they are present.

Carpet moths the webbing moth and the case making moth don t look like much at first. Because of the trouble the carpet beetle can cause all carpet sold by australian manufacturers contain these chemicals. This is safe to humans. Pyrethrum and bifenthrin are used.

The following pests in particular are infamous for sneaking into homes uninvited and damaging oriental rugs upholstery and carpet. Adult carpet moths are light brown or beige in colour with a 2 cm wingspan and once fully formed don t need to eat. Larvae typically are light brown to black and covered in dense sometimes barbed hairs. Khapra beetle has been detected and eradicated in australia in the past after being found inside packages which were stored in infested shipping containers.