Carpet beetles resemble ladybirds but are smaller. The beetle flies in, lays its eggs on the carpet & generally flies out. It is the lava that do the damage by feeding on the carpet.
The lava are very small and often unnoticed, they exclusively dine on wool, will not touch nylon or polyester and are generally found around the edges of the room where there is no traffic. Generally speaking wool carpet over 5 years old (where pest treatment is exhausted) or water damage makes the carpet susceptible to carpet beetle attack.
A minor infestation can be treated by the householder with a pyrethyrum based cockroach surface spray, but call a technician for a heavy infestation.
Some preventative measures include:
- Using an upright vacuum cleaner
- Moving furniture when you vacuum to ensure you are vacuuming all carpeted areas
- Steam cleaning regularly, 6 monthly is recommended