Beetle - house pest - can't get rid of them!! - Dermestes lardarius

cleaning

usually a good full house clean and spraying with bug spray takes care of the problem just send you carpets to a San Antonio carpet cleaning firm and spray the whole house

… Dentistry, 3 September, 2009 - 1:18pm

Dermestes lardarius

I started finding these beetles 3 months ago everything i try to get rid of them doesnt work. I find them in washing. Cupboards under things were its dark ive even found them on the sofa. If any one knows how to get rid of them please HELP!

… Nattie87, 18 May, 2009 - 3:36am

bugs

I think I may have these bugs in my apartment. I keep on seeing them underneath clothes that are on the floor and around boxes. I don't have any pets so I'm wondering if they are even larder beetles. They are very small black bugs with a thin brown stripe across the back. And they make a crunching noise when I squish them. Please let me know what kind of bug it is and how can I get rid of them!

… Molly, 29 March, 2009 - 4:14am

The best way to discourage them

is to do a thorough housecleaning, including under and behind refrigerator and stove where food crumbs could accumulate. Some dermestids will dine on wool. (Do you have wool rugs?) Tiny human skin flakes and human hairs are other favorite foods of dermestid beetles and these can accumulate in rugs and carpets. Vacuum and shampoo any carpets and have any rugs professionally cleaned.

… Jim McClarin, 29 March, 2009 - 8:37am

What a pest!

I thought it was interesting that most of us that have this beetle problem live in the same area. I'm in Manchester NH and they make me crazy. Does anyone know if they are harmless? I hate having them here but somehow I would feel better knowing that they are not damaging my house too! Any good ways to get rid of them? My problem started last summer...I was hoping that in the winter they would just phase out but no such luck spring is here and so are they. If you have any thoughts I would be interested in hearing them.

Thanks....Jen

… happy2000sg, 29 April, 2008 - 3:50pm

Chances are they aren't dead!

Hi,
I have larder beetles too, grrr! I thought I was finding them dead also, till I walked away from what a thought was a dead one the other day, and when i got back to pick it up with a kleenex it was running away!? The lil buggers play dead!! God knows how many have craweled out of my garbage can. So now i know loll, i crush em good when i find em, dead or not!

… fanielee, 1 June, 2007 - 5:30pm

Dermestid beetle

Larder beetle, Dermestes lardarius, found in foods of animal origin, skins and fur. Usually carcasses. Perhaps check the living quarters of your birds? Got an old fur coat you forgot about?

… kirkk, 28 March, 2006 - 1:51pm

The vacuum cleaner

is probably their worst enemy. Make sure there are no accumulations of bird food under baseboard heaters, etc.

I have yet to find D. lardarius on a carcass, although other dermestid beetles abound there. I most often find them in/around houses with pets.

btw, welcome to bugguide. I live two towns over from you in Nashua :-)

… Jim McClarin, 28 March, 2006 - 6:37pm

Thanks!!

Thanks for the help guys!

Nashua, heh.. yep, you're pretty close!

Are there any pet-friendly traps made to "collect" these?

I once had an infestation of a certain type of moth, that came from a bag a parrot seeds. I guess they somehow bore a hole in sunflower seeds, and lay their egg(s)? in there, or the larva does it, not sure... Anyway, the manufacturer or the bird seeds knew exactly what they were and sent me these pheromone sticky traps you can hang from the wall or such. Those worked great!

Is there anything like that which will attract and trap these suckers? It's impossible to keep my parrots area free of food droppings. I'd need to do it 2-3 times a day, which isn't feasible. These thing are showing up all over the house, in rooms with 0 food, etc.

I found a few around a window we had opened. They were on the outside of the screen. Not sure if they were ones that were originally inside and got out, or where ones that were outside, trying to get in. ;)

Take care.

On a side note... I really hope the tree frogs come back this year. Have an inground pool, and they think it's their mating ground. I used to live down in Salem, and they came back every year. Loud little guys. I collect as many as I can find, then relocate them to a nearby pond. The have the most amazing orange colors on parts of their hide legs. Only seen them during one season here in Londonderry. Been here 3 years, I think.

I also raised around 50-100 of them in a small aquarium (at work!), from eggs collected in my pool, and let them go when they turned into froglets.

… Enigma, 1 April, 2006 - 11:55am

I know of no traps or lures.

Short of fumigation, I guess you're stuck vacuuming three times daily ;-)

Here's an idea: get another pet -- a gekko that has free roam of the house.

… Jim McClarin, 1 April, 2006 - 1:24pm

Bug Guide

Yes sure - just crush them when you find them. It is the best method out there. And be careful they might be fast. Bugs can be a pain sometimes. I remember what great time we had when we moved from our previous house and discovered in a new one a whole colony of similar bugs. We were very sorry but we had to crush them all :D

Best Regards
-Ricardo Kryvorgio

… ricardoexterp, 5 February, 2009 - 3:31am

Good idea

but I wouldn't say D. lardarius is particularly fast.

… Jim McClarin, 5 February, 2009 - 6:24am