I had an exterminator come in back in January or late December. I was freaked thinking bed bugs. Then when she said it was carpet beetles, I was relieved. Although one of my friends told me that her friend had carpet beetles and it was a nightmare, she moved twice before having a clean home.

The exterminator told me to calm down, vacuum, call this guy to steam clean hardwood floors and carpet. I was already on a mad cleaning escapade, washing and bagging all clothes, thinking it was bed bugs. She looked at the tons of baggies I had filled with bugs, identifying them as carpet beetles.

She came back once with her husband who owned the business. At this point, my place was squeeky clean as I became OCD and still am about vacuuming, every day, cleaning with a dust of borax, and even trying a solution on skin at night that was recommended with coconut oil, silver and vitamin E, a mineral also. I have become anti-social.

I have hired an exterminater who came in and sprayed. My car got carpet beetles and I got it cleaned, detailed, washed inside twice. Exterminater sprayed it.

Beetles ate my wicker furniture, thrown out lots of stuff that has been destroyed. Don’t see them at work, just see loose threads, small holes in furniture.

I have a hepa filter vacuum cleaner that I bought, a heap filter in the bedroom. Everything is in sealed bags in my home and I threw out my couch, my bed, they were in my box springs, and books, cupboard foods, grains, spices, the whole nine yards.

Thought about moving but like my rent and my location, plus likely they would come with me.

My dog has bugged out, no pun intended, and he is being eaten alive. They pull out his hair at night. They pull out mine. Inner ear infection, dizziness. Sinus infection. They crawl into your nose, your ears, your scalp, open mouth during the night. Just gruesome.

I have not wanted to live. What is my life? Feel like I cannot invite anyone over anymore. And if you saw my home, you would think I was the best and cleanest person ever.

Not sure what else to do but keep ahead of them.

What I have found out, contacting about 5 different exterminater companies, is that no one seems to know about carpet beetles in the way that they know about bedbugs or other rodents. Vacuum is the most common answer and that is just BS as a solution. It helps but you better be taking the bags out, clean out the dust buster, etc.

Who are the experts on carpet beetles?

And believe me the problem is much bigger than anyone is saying.

Good luck to all in this battle that depletes so much of our lives and our animals.

I did the bed bug check all over my house. Not one little brownish or red spot on a mattress, chair, couch. No casings. Nothing that looked like eggs or fecal matter. No evidence of a bed bug. Even checked purse, etc. We took 2 of these little beetles to the bug man and he said carpet beetles. I also took photos and today I found 2 larvae and we will take those to him too. He said from the sounds of it, it is early.

He suggested we vacuum like crazy, esp around the edges and under everything, keep the dog hair vacuumed up constantly, and if need be he will come out and spray for us. I hate bugs like there’s no tomorrow so the bug man is one of my heroes. he charges us very little and gives us good tips. Oh my gosh I just noticed I have a bunch of clutter on the floor in one little spot! Buncha books and papers. Usually don’t, but I’m in school and working, getting ready for finals and daughter just got married and things have been IN. SANE.

Now I have plenty of time to fear and loathe the dread bugs at my leisure. I stayed up all night, afraid to go to sleep in the bed. I have found 2 of them in there, but just crawling leisurely across the covers. find them usually on the floor just at the edge of the carpet, or right by the baseboard.