Let’s introduce you to the most widely found fabric pests in Adelaide:

Varied carpet beetles

Known for their characteristic wing pattern of light and dark brown transverse bands, and white, brown and yellow scales, adult varied carpet beetles are 2-3mm long and take 2-5 months to reach full maturity. Their larvae are brown and 4-5mm long.

They often make their way inside homes through bird and wasp nests, where females normally lay eggs.

While fully matured adults feed on pollen from flowers, the larvae are known to attack carpets, animal hides, feathers and fabrics such as cotton, wool and silk, particularly if they contain traces of food or fluid. Varied carpet beetles also eat corn, red capsicum and rye meal.

If left unchecked, an outbreak of fabric pests can cause widespread damage to your personal belongings such as clothing, carpet, rugs, curtains and furniture.

They also leave a mess behind with their shed skins, silk threads and cocoons during the maturation process.

As scavengers, they will often eat stored food products and cause contamination.

Being small in size, they can easily crawl into small hiding places to evade treatment and lay eggs, making an infestation so much harder to control.

You can take small steps, which can make a big difference to protecting your home and belongings from a fabric pest outbreak. Here are some ideas:

• Regularly vacuum and steam clean carpets to reduce dirt build-up, especially if they are made of wool or a wool blend, taking care to check behind and under furniture. You’ll want to remove dust, hair, fish food, spices and cigars or cigarettes that larvae can feed on. Pay attention to wardrobes, closets and walk-in robes.
• Regularly inspect clothes, including underneath cuffs, collars and patches. Consider washing clothing and fabric even if it is less frequently used
• For clothes and bedding and that aren’t used in your regular rotation, you can store these away in tightly sealed plastic bags
• Place mothballs, Camphor or adhesive strips inside closets, linen cupboards, wardrobes and also inside pianos
• Seal off entry points to the building, including cracks, crevices, gaps and holes in walls, skirting boards, windows, doors. Ensure that fly screens are well fitted and maintained and cover vents with mesh. Consider door seals for all outside entrance doors
• Remove bird and wasp nests on buildings as they are a common place of shelter for carpet beetles
• Avoid purchasing second hand furniture/clothes, and if you do, carefully inspect them for fabric pests before bringing them inside
• Keep food sealed in sturdy, airtight containers 
• Consider using a dehumidifier
• To keep away silverfish, you can use strong smelling cleaners with citrus, lavender and cinnamon essential oils. Moth balls, Borax and diatomaceous earth are useful as well

To protect large items such as furniture or large rugs, we recommend contacting Allstate for more specific advice.

It can certainly be stressful to open up your wardrobe and find fabric pests flying and crawling around and ruining your favourite clothes. Fortunately, Allstate can help prevente the problem before it gets worse.

Family owned and established in 1986, Allstate has provided pest control services across all metropolitan suburbs of Adelaide in commercial, industrial and residential settings.

Our experienced, highly trained team is fully equipped to resolve all fabric pest outbreaks with modern and up-to-date solutions and advice. You can rest assured that all our treatments are nontoxic towards children, pets and the environment.

Available 24/7 to respond to urgent callouts and emergencies, we also have interest-free payment plans available to make it easier to access our services. To maintain quality, we have a a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee and competitive warranty on all our services.