Small black beetles around the house are not an embracing sight. These tiny invaders can create a mess by inducing health hazards, damaging property, and hindering the coziness of the house.
This guide is put forward to assist you in identifying some of the common black beetles in the house with some additional insightful understanding about them.
You might have frequently encountered black carpet beetles in the US, more commonly on the northern side. The all-black coloration, black carpet beetle can range from 2.8 mm to 5 mm in length, mostly feeding on hair, wool, feathers, and silk. You may also see these tiny black insects in your house's pantry items.
Carpet Beetle Infestation
If your fabrics and fur materials have holes of irregular sizes at different portions and areas, you should suspect carpet beetle as the main culprit. More to that, these tiny insects are found to harbor in the packaging materials, constantly feeding on the stored foods of your house.
If allowed to flourish, black carpet beetles upon reaching their adulthood stage, will lay eggs in the isolated space near the source of food. The larvae of carpet beetles often induce allergic reactions in some people. These insects can grow very quickly if provided the required shelter and food.
Spider beetles are more like tiny spiders with reddish-brown coloration ranging from 2-5 mm in length but at a glance you might encounter them as full black tiny insects.
These insects more commonly appear in a space that is untidy and unhygienic. If your house, more specifically the area where you usually store your food, is unmanaged and kept unhygienically, spider beetles are more commonly attracted to such food sources.
Spider Beetle Infestation
Spider beetles are very tiny and are often found hiding from humans. Such a small black bug in the house are more commonly active during the night around the pantries and food sources.
Although they are very hard to get sight of, you might locate the adult ones or their cocoons at their harboring space. You may as well find small and fine particles in the areas where they are most likely to be found such as food sources, cupboards, cutlery space, and other pantry items.
Flea beetles could be other small black beetles in your house. They are attractively dark-colored leaf-beetle-like tiny creatures that can surprisingly jump from one place to another feeding mostly on the external surfaces of the plants such as leaves, stems, and petals.
Some larvae of these beetles are also found to feed on the roots of the plants.
Flea Beetle Infestation
Flea beetles are found to infest crops such as mustard and garden plants such as Gardenia and Rothmannia. More particularly in North America, flea beetles are one of the major culprits of infesting and damaging canola or rapeseed. When the environmental weather turns sunnier and warmer, flea beetles become more active and attack the host crops and plants.
You should know that houseplants are not the major food source of flea beetles, however, they can get into your house through other plants, you bring inside.
If you have encountered small insects usually with black spots on their body, they are likely to be Asian lady beetles. Having a wide range of coloration, they can be anything from orange to red. Many studies have projected the fact that lady beetles are more attracted to light and shiny surfaces.
Lady Beetle Infestation
More commonly when the weather turns cold and winter approaches, these beetles seek for warm shelter and end up inside your house and buildings. Beetles are simply a nuisance creature without having the potential of inducing diseases, however, some people have been reported to bear allergies upon direct contact.
More to that, Asian lady beetles are found to release yellow secretions if disturbed or as a defense mechanism against predators, which can produce an acrid odor in the surroundings. These beetles are not something to be amazed at if encountered in the house, learn how to get rid of asian lady beetles!
Grain beetles could be the main culprit of the damage done to the grains of your house. These types of beetles are one of the major troublesome insects in the household of the US. You will notice them to be between 2-3 mm in length with dark brown or red coloration.
You might have heard about flour beetles, red beetles, or rice weevils, these all fall under grain-eating insects, invading into your house through the grains you have purchased from the store. You can get the sight of these beetles mostly in your kitchen where the foods and grains are stored.
Grain Beetle Infestation
It is difficult to detect the larvae and eggs of the grain beetles through your naked eye but there's a way to inspect for the infestation in your grain products. It has been suggested to check for the temperature of the potential product to determine if your product has been infested severely or not.
The infested grains are found to possess high temperatures. More to that, if you take a proper glance at your stored grain products, you might as well get a sight of adult beetles crawling in and around. If your stored foods are not sealed properly or not kept in an air-tight container, grain beetles can severely infest your products, inducing immense damage.
If you are wondering what could be those small black beetles in your house, they could be weevils. Yes, weevils are very small pantry insects having dark brown coloration, often found near water sources such as bathrooms, sinks, and basins having enough moisture for them to flourish.
Weevils are found to locomote by crawling through small openings and crevices. If your house has small holes and gaps, weevils may take it as an entrance and exit door. The gaps in the floor, doors, and windows can act as an opening medium for these insects to in and out of your house.
You should know that weevils are not known to bear any damage and harm to the people and their property. They do not infest your food sources, instead, they seek shelter inside your house during inappropriate environmental conditions and are mostly found to feed on outdoor plant's roots and vines.
Cucumber beetles are another small common beetle of Northern America. They mostly like to feed on vegetables like cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins, mostly during the warmer months. However, during the growing period, they feed on whatever comes their way, not only the vine plants.
Cucumber Beetle Infestation
When the winter period comes, cucumber beetles seek the warmer place to take shelter and overwinter. Your house with a closed and cozy space is an ideal place for them to hibernate. More to that, if you have a garden close to your living areas, these beetles can secretly move into the house.
Although they are not harmful in terms of biting or causing any physical damage, they can be a real nuisance swarming around the light source. More to that, cucumber beetles are found to play a major role in spreading bacteria around your garden and plants.
Professionals suggest vacuuming up whenever you get the sight of such beetles inside your house to get rid of cucumber beetles.
Moisture is one of the most attractive elements for the small beetles and insects inside your house. Most of the beetles prefer to take shelter in the damp and humid space of your house. A moist environment is highly adored by such insects because such a region allows them an ideal environment for breeding and harboring.
To add more to that, spaces such as windows, kitchen, bathroom, and secluded spaces of your house usually have more humidity, moisture levels, and water facilities, making such areas highly attractive to the small beetles.
b. Irregular Vacuuming
Vacuuming is a crucial aspect of keeping your space clean, tidy, and bug-free. Regular vacuuming practice can minimize the potential for bug infestation to a large extent. This is because most of the small insects get vacuumed up easily if cleaned thoroughly at every potential area.
If you use your vacuum cleaner appropriately at the right places such as around pantry items, furniture, beds, couches, carpets, and other areas, you can eliminate not only adult beetles and bugs but also their eggs and larvae. This way, you can reduce their potential to breed and reach the matured phase.
c. Clutter
Clutter is basically a hide-out space for the small beetles. They find the required warmth and temporary sheltering space in cluttered regions of your house. If you have the habit of keeping your clothes unmanaged, storing them in a big pile and stacking them, and keeping clean and dirty clothes in the same spot, then such cluttered space is an appealing factor for the small insects.
Not only clothes, small bugs are attracted to the piles of paper, cardboard boxes, and every dark spot of furniture and pantry items. Such spaces allow the small beetles to thrive and flourish. Adding more to that, unmanaged and messy areas of your house are one of the major reasons for the small beetles to get inside your house and take shelter.
As you know small black bugs in your house could be anything. Having very small sizes and almost the same coloration, all of them tend to resemble one another. Some might not be the real problem apart from the temporary nuisance, but some may induce deadly health hazards.
It would be, therefore, wise to adopt the appropriate action to get rid of them from your house and keep them at bay for safety. Considering that, the identification stage is vital to proceed with the right action against them. Here’s what you need to do:
Proper Examination
Beetles are tiny creatures. Some of these insects may not get caught up by your naked eye. However, identification is necessary despite their sizes and coloration. Once you are sure about the beetle infestation in your house, you have to give a proper inspection for any signs of adult bugs roaming around.
Adult ones, if given proper attention, can come into your sight. You can take the help of any useful tools like a magnifying glass for a more accurate inspection. Thus, the first step to take action against such small bugs in your house is identification and you have to have a proper examination.
Get a Sample
While trying to examine the bugs of your house, you might as well get to capture the one. It would be best if you get your hands on one of them so that you can give more closer inspection. This way, if necessary, you can show the professional the bug itself to take the right action against them.
Seek Professional Help
You can research on your own if you get a real and clear image of the bug or the bug itself. After having known the bug, you can take things under control by adopting the right measures to get rid of them or you can get to know what would be the best step after that.
However, if you find it difficult to take things under control on your own, or if you fail to catch the bugs, or identify them properly, you can always turn toward nearby professional pest control. The professionals are always ready to help you although they may charge you a bit, but it would be best to allow them to do their work for your safety.
After you have detected the beetle infestation in your house through various signs and symptoms, it would be wise to take action against them as soon as possible, or else bugs might end up inducing more damage to your property and health.
The first thing you should adopt to get rid of small beetles from your house is isolating the infested area. Yes, you need to cease the spread of the infestation in your house by separating the affected area, if possible.
Cleanliness and tidiness is the crucial and most important of all, if you are looking to keep the bugs at bay and away from your house. You need to develop the habit of cleaning your house both indoors and outdoors regularly. Make sure to use a vacuum thoroughly at every potential area periodically.
c. Adopt Appropriate Treatments
Different bugs may require different strategies if you are to eradicate them completely and permanently from the house. You have to be sure, at first, about the bug infestation and proceed with the right measures against them.
You may need to look for natural remedies or any dedicated pesticides such as to get rid of carpet beetles if you are to keep beetles at bay. It would be best to seek professional help or a consultant while choosing the right measures. Remember to follow the user guidelines and safety protocols if you decide to use chemical treatments against bug infestation.
