How to get rid of Beetles

As about 400,000 species of beetles have been identified, it is clear that they come in may shapes and sizes. Some can be beneficial, and some can cause quite some problems to crops and even one’s home. Depending on their species, beetles feed on plants, animal fibres, decaying matter and so on. Some kill harmful insects, while others are destructive pests themselves. Regarding the later, in case of an infestation on your crops, or in your home, you will need to know how to deal with them, and what methods to apply in order to keep them away. Some beetle larva, such as the one of the carpet beetle, can attack natural fibres and feathers, they damage wool and other fabrics you have inside your home. Others feed on hardwood or bamboo, or any other type of furniture made of wood. In the kitchen, the flour beetle and the grain beetle can affect your food products. They can also cause mass damage if they manage to infest production facilities or stores. Your yard can also be affected by grubs, which are another name for the larva stage of the beetle. They can damage lawns and landscapes by attacking the roots of grass, and leaves from trees can also be affected by the elm beetles.
The beneficial one, such as the ladybug, will feed on plant pests such as aphids and mealybugs, its presence being quite appreciated in a garden. However, even they can become a nuisance, as in the late summer and fall, hundreds of these creatures can be found clustered outside homes, as they try to find shelter throughout the winter that is coming.

Types of beetles and eradication methods

Carpet beetles

When dealing with an infestation of any kind, the first step is identifying the type of pest you are dealing with, in order to be able to set up the correct eradication methods.
For carpet beetle infestations, you need to be very careful with the control measures you apply, as they need to be done thoroughly, due to the persistence of this pest. They can severely damage carpets, clothing and any other fabrics that comes in their way. You can identify the carpet beetle infestation after the traces they leave behind, such as faecal pellets and shed skins. You can expect to find both larva and adults roaming through, and they can be easily recognised by the brown bands running across the body of the larva, along with long hair-like extension toward one or both ends, and by the oval-shaped body of the adult beetle. They can come in a range of colours, but most have some form of black and grey or black and brown patterns. Some varieties also have yellow or white on their backs.

After identifying the type of beetle, you will need to find the source of infestation, which is normally indicated by a high concentration of cast skins and faecal pellets. They normally appear in carpets that can be found in closets, or darker locations, such as air ducts, baseboards and attics, but they can also be attracted to food cabinets, dog food, fresh flowers and paint brushes. After finding the source of infestation, you will need to thoroughly clean the area. Vacuum all carpeted areas in your house, to ensure the beetles have not spread to other rooms as well. Try vacuuming all the upholstered furniture that cannot be washed in a machine, and try to maintain a proper level of sanitation throughout your house, in order to avoid the development of future generations of carpet beetles. Depending on how bad the infestation is, you may need to vacuum a few times a day, but remember to throw away ant infested garments and the vacuum bag as well, as you do not want the beetles to escape and cause you trouble all over again.

If your clothes have not been heavily affected, so you don’t need to throw them away, your best solution of keeping them free of beetles is to wash them in hot, soapy water, as this will remove any trace of infestation, and then keep them sealed in air-tight containers. You can also steam-clean your carpets and upholstered furniture, to make sure they are thoroughly rid of eggs and larva as well.
If just vacuuming and washing the carpets does not make you feel secure enough, you can also use insecticides in the form of aerosol insecticide or dust. There are specific solutions sold against carpet beetles, that you can apply in cracks and crevices where they might be hiding as well. In general, carpet treatment insecticides that contain chlorpyrifos, bendiocarb, and allethrin are the most effective against carpet beetles. You can also try dusting the infested areas with boric acid, as this solution is non-toxic to humans, and it will kill nearly any insect that comes in contact with it. However, be advised that it has a bleaching effect, so be careful not to use it on dark materials.
Pheromone traps can also be used against carpet beetles. They can be found in the form of glue traps that can be placed around cracks and crevices, or any other areas where you can see that beetles are emerging from. They will attract the beetles and kill them, and based on the number you will see trapped, you can also get an idea of how large is the infestation you are dealing with.

In order to prevent them from traveling indoors, you can also use outdoor treatments, by using liquid insecticides along soil areas next to the home and around the lower portion of the foundation. You can apply them by using a low pressure sprayer. This is an important step, especially if you suspect the infestation originated from a place that has a connection with the outside, such as a vent or an air duct. You can also treat other potential entryways such as windows, door frames and utility pipes. An extra measure is removing birds nests around your house, as carpet beetles usually tend to lay their eggs there, so by destroying these shelters, the beetles will have to move further away from your home and you will reduce the risk of infestation.

Sprayers used for Beetles control:

The equipment needed for a professional Pest Control Operator depends on the type of pest the treatment is made against, and if the treated surface is indoors or outdoors. Sprayers help in applying products meant to reach difficult places, as well as guaranteeing an economic control of the treatment application.

After managing to get rid of the infestation, be sure to apply preventive measures, such as protection of susceptible items, inspecting flowers before bringing them inside and keeping doors and windows shut. Carpet beetles are not likely to find their way through plastic bags, so keeping your off-season clothes in air-tight plastic containers, will protect them from these pests. Also, by opening your closet for a few hours a day and exposing the clothes to fresh air and sunlight, can also keep beetles away. Place cedar chips or moth balls in your storage areas, to deter beetles from them, and regularly clean your carpets, in order to avoid having to deal with an infestation again.

Grain and flour beetles

When it comes to an infestation caused by grain or flour beetles, the steps you need to take in order to get rid of the are different. Flour beetles are common in homes and grocery stores, and they attack flour and stored cereal products. They deposit their eggs directly in flour, cereal s or dry pet food, where they can remain for several months until hatching.  After that, the larvae start eating the material around them, altering the quality of the products, and causing a disagreeable odour in the flour. Adult flour beetles can also crawl into packages and can easily spread from one type of product to another.
When discovering an infected product, not only will you have to get rid of it, but you will need to find the source that caused the problem. It’s quite possible the product was contaminated before you brought it home. After finding the source of the issue and getting rid of the infected products, you will need to disinfect the area and apply preventive measures, to avoid this happening again.

Search thoroughly through all the food products that are not sealed airtight. Take note of the fact that these pests can easily move from one product to another, especially if they are stored in paper bags or cardboard boxes. The best way to store the foods and protect them is in plastic bags that properly seal, or in glass jars. Other foods such as pasta, crackers, raisins, rice, boxed dinners, and bread can all become contaminated from infested flour. As you are not able to see the beetle eggs with the naked eye, if you suspect a container has been infested, it is better to just throw it all away.

After removing all the breached products, cleaning the area is the next step you need to take. Vacuum all the food scraps that remained on your shelving and inside crevices and clean the cabinets and pantries with a mix of soapy water, or even a little bleach, as this will kill the remaining eggs. After they are clean and dried, you can cover the shelves with foil or paper, just to add an extra form of protection against future possible invaders. You can also use eucalyptus oil or ti-tree oil to discourage the emergence of beetles, as these oils have a potent smell which beetles do not like.
Be sure that you do not offer these pests a thriving environment, as they do prefer a humid and warm area, in order to develop. Even the bathroom could be a place where you can find the source of infestation, so make sure you keep a constant level of sanitation throughout your entire home.

Spraying concentrated insecticides for Beetles control:

Concentrated insecticides are the most common used products in fighting insect infestations. They provide the safety that any insect coming into contact with the treated surfaces dies shortly.

Insecticide application is the last step that you need to take. If you feel you have not removed all the possible sources of infestation by removing affected packages and cleaning your house, you can apply insecticide, which should go into cracks and crevices, with the goal of eliminating any flour beetles that may be hiding. Considering the fact that you will need to apply it near food, the best type of insecticide is diatomaceous earth. Being a food grade based product, it will be safe for you, but it will easily affect and kill the beetles, by stabbing through their exoskeleton and causing them to die of dehydration.
Prevention is the key to stopping future infestations, so be careful when you buy new flour or grain products. Always buy small amounts to be able to use them quickly, as longer quantities that are not used for a longer period of time, will be more likely to develop beetles. This also applies to cereal boxes, dry dog food and spices. Just to be sure, after purchasing your products, you can freeze them for 10-25 days, to kill any trace of egg or larva, and then store them in an air-tight container. Always clean crumbs and spillages and always keep the rest of the house and yard clean.

Mist Blowers used for Beetles control:

Mist blowers are also useful for treatment application, as they use a very low volume application rate per unit area / space, that guarantees economic control of pests.

Ladybugs

As previously advised, the ladybug is not considered a destructive pest. It is quite beneficial, as it preys on herbivorous homopterans such as aphids or scale insects, which are agricultural pests. Many coccinellids lay their eggs directly in aphid and scale insect colonies in order to ensure their larvae have an immediate food source. However, even these appreciated insects can sometimes become harmful. Typically, when temperatures warm to 60°F (18 °C) in the late afternoon, following a period of cooler weather, they will swarm onto or into buildings illuminated by the sun. Swarms of ladybugs fly to buildings in September through November depending on location and weather conditions. Homes or other buildings near fields or woods are particularly prone to infestation. First, they will go into hibernation gradually often sunning themselves on walls before going into the site at night or in cold spells. The same applies except in reverse when they emerge from hibernation in the spring. As they enter buildings through crevices, they will emerge on the inside in rooms, as they are guided by the warmth coming from the rooms, so you will also be able to find dead ladybugs around windows, as they try to find their way out.
In order to eliminate these pests, you will need to use a residual insecticide, placed inside and outside windows, on walls, ceilings or lofts. You can also use insecticide fog, to make sure it reaches all the cracks and crevices in the walls. These type of eradication methods will eliminate most of the problem, but not the entire infestation, because a high number of insect will be hibernating in areas that do not come into contact with the applied insecticide such as cavity walls, boxed off areas in roofs or between the felt or the roof tiles. Aerosol insecticides can last 1-2 months after they are applied, but the more time passes, less effective will they become. The insects will only get affected if they come in contact with treated areas. Another type of solution that you can use is boric acid, but as with other insecticides, the ladybugs will need to come in contact with it. For a smaller infestation, you can use solutions that have strong vapours, such as camphor or menthol. Apply some citrus or citronella-based scent in the places the ladybugs were last seen; not only will this erase any scent they may have left behind, limiting the chances that any new ladybugs will sense it and be attracted to it, but it is also believed that it repels ladybugs altogether, seeing as they do not enjoy the strong scent.
Traps made out of soap and water have also proven to be effective. Simply fill bowls with the mixture and place them in strategic places, such as on windowpanes or near lamps; the reflected light will attract the ladybugs and the soap will cut the water tension, so that when they fall inside, they will not be able to resurface and re-take flight, and will, thus, drown.

During summer, you can prevent many of these ladybug problems, by inspecting the outside of your home, and caulking the cracks around windows and doors. Check the attic, roof and overhang vents, repair any damaged screens, and check the weather stripping on all exterior doors. Repair any damaged window screens, and make sure you patch any holes that lead into the attic from inside your home. These preventive measures should keep the ladybugs out and keep your home free of any infestation.