Canines and Carpet Beetles: Why Dogs Are a Carpet Beetle's Best Friend

Carpet beetles love dogs, especially baby carpet beetles. That's because dogs make it easier for them to infest your home. Therefore, if you own a dog and you suspect that you may have a carpet beetle infestation, your dog may have had an indirect hand in the infestation — with your help, of course!

But why dogs? What is it about them that carpet beetles love? Several things, actually.

Carpet Beetles Ride Dogs to the Great Indoors

In Australia, carpet beetles are active all year round, but especially so in the warmer months of spring and summer. The warmer months are also when you and your dog spend more time outdoors. This suits carpet beetles because it allows them to land undetected on your dog's fur. Safely ensconced among the hairs of your dog's coat, they can hitch a ride into your home.

They also try to hitch a ride on humans, but humans tend to spot carpet beetles before they return indoors.

Carpet Beetles Enjoy Snacking on Dry Dog Food

Just one carpet beetle can lay up to 100 eggs in a dry, dark place within your home. One such place that a female carpet beetle may lay her eggs is in a kitchen cupboard, the cupboard containing the dried dog food. Although carpet beetle larvae tend to infest items that contain animal fur of some kind, such as wool rugs, dried dog food is also on the menu if nothing else is available.

However, bigger problems arise later when those tiny carpet beetle larvae spread throughout your home, to your furniture, rugs and drapes.

Dogs Shed Fur, Which Carpet Beetle Larvae Love

Carpet beetles tend to infest items that contain animal fur, as mentioned earlier. This is because these items contain keratin, a fibrous protein found in nails, hair and skin. If you have lived with your dog for a while, you know that they shed quite a large amount of hair on a daily basis. As you know, this fur can get everywhere!

Unfortunately, carpet beetle larvae take 9 months to mature. Obviously, during that time, those baby carpet beetles will be munching their way through your furniture, carpets and upholstery. So even if you find just one of those little critters in your home, you could have a full-blown infestation on your hands.

If you suspect that carpet beetles have infested your home, call a pest control company near you before these pests damage your favorite rug beyond repair.