LEAFLET 150. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



to molt or when about to transform to pupae 

 may crawl far from their food. They crawl 

 quarter rounds and into wall and floor spaces 

 may assemble in groups (fig. 10). In these 

 unmolested by housecleaning operations and 

 the reach of sprays and fumigants. After 

 completed the larvae again seek food in the 1 

 why some carpet beetles may be found a few 

 been properly sprayed or fumigated. 



Control 



they stop feeding and 

 behind baseboards and 

 , where sometimes they 

 hidden spots they are 

 very often are beyond 

 the molting process is 

 oom. and this explains 

 days after a room has 



The control of carpet beetles is not difficult in storage units that 

 are tight, but when infestations throughout a house are of long 

 standing only peristence in con- 

 tinuing the application of reme- 

 dial measures will stamp them out. 

 Carpet beetle control will result 

 in the control of clothes moths. 



/ \ 



Figure 7. — Mature larva of the furniture 

 carpet beetle. Twelve times natural 



Figure S. — Mature larva of the varied 

 carpet beetle. Fourteen limes natural 



as clothes moths and carpet beetles have very much the same food 

 habits. 



Naphthalene or paradiochlorobenzene. — When clothing is stored 

 in tight trunks, boxes, or closets, protection against carpet beetles can 

 be secured cheaply by using flake naphthalene or paradichloroben- 

 zene crystals. These should be used in trunks at the rate of about 

 1 pound for each trunkful of clothing and should be scattered be- 

 tween layers of thin paper placed at various levels in the clothing. 

 In' closets that are kept tightly closed, use either of these chemicals 

 at the rate of about 1 pound for every 100 cubic feet of closet space. 



Sprays. — Contact sprays such as the oil-pyrethrnm sprays com- 

 monly found on the market are excellent for spraying floor cracks 



