Carpet Beetle Control in Kent
Often mistaken for moth damage. The larvae - "woolly bears" - do the eating, and they hide in the underlay rather than the carpet surface.
Signs
How To Tell It Is Carpet Beetle, Not Moths
The damage looks similar to moth damage - irregular holes in wool carpet and natural fibres - which is why the two get confused as often as they do. The larvae, sometimes called "woolly bears", are small, bristly and brown-striped, and unlike moth larvae they are commonly found down in the underlay rather than only on the visible surface, which is part of why an infestation can be well established before it is noticed from above.
The adult beetle is small, roughly oval, and often first noticed on a windowsill - it feeds outdoors on pollen and can arrive in a house on cut flowers before its larvae ever touch a carpet. Finding adult beetles on windowsills in spring without visible carpet damage yet is a genuine early warning worth acting on.
Every visit
What Every Visit Includes, Whichever Service
Free quotes, no call-out fee, and evening and weekend appointments at no extra cost. Same-day where we can, next-day for most things. Every technician is fully trained and insured, and the team has been doing this across Kent for over ten years.
Every job is guaranteed: if the problem is still active after the treatment has had time to work, we come back and there is no second call-out fee. It does not cover a new infestation arriving from a source nobody has closed.
The job
What The Treatment Involves
Because the larvae live down in the underlay as much as on the surface, treatment has to reach that layer, not just the pile - which is one of the reasons carpet beetle is treated differently from a straightforward moth job even though the visible damage looks alike. The survey covers carpets, rugs, upholstery and stored natural-fibre textiles in the affected rooms.
Vacuuming thoroughly, including under furniture and up the edges of skirting, before the visit removes larvae, cast skins and debris that would otherwise be left behind even after a successful chemical treatment - it is a genuinely useful thing to do beforehand rather than something we ask out of habit.
What we cover
Every Other Service
Wasp Nest Removal
Nests in eaves, lofts, cavities, sheds and hedges. Treated same or next day for one fixed price.
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Rat Control
Baiting, trapping and — the part that matters — finding and closing how they are getting in.
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Mice Control
A mouse gets through a gap the width of a pencil. Treatment plus proofing, not one without the other.
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Bed Bug Control
Beds, frames, headboards and the room around them. Always more than one visit — nothing kills unhatched eggs.
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Flea Control
Carpets, upholstery and pet bedding. Works properly only alongside current treatment from your vet.
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Ant Control
Gel bait taken back to the nest rather than a spray that kills the ones you can see and nothing else.
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Cockroach Control
German and Oriental cockroaches in kitchens, flats and food premises. Discreet and documented.
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Moth Removal
Carpet and clothes moths in wool carpets, rugs, wardrobes and under furniture that never gets moved.
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Squirrel Control
Grey squirrels in lofts and roof spaces, where they chew cables and lift insulation. Legally handled.
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Commercial Pest Control
Pubs, shops, kitchens, schools, care homes, warehouses and farms. Out of hours, with the paperwork.
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Pest Control
Not sure which of these you have got? Start here, or send a photo and we will tell you.
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What It Costs
Carpet beetle control is quoted rather than listed, since it depends on how much carpet and underlay is affected and whether the larvae have reached upholstery or stored textiles as well. Quotes are free, there is no call-out fee for coming to look, and the price is agreed with you before any work starts.
Going further
Advice Worth Reading First
What Happens On A First Visit
Nobody enjoys booking this. Here is exactly what it involves, so there are no surprises on the day.
Read more ›What It Costs, And What Changes It
One published price, and an honest account of why everything else is quoted instead of listed.
Read more ›Pests In A Rented Home: Who Is Responsible?
General information rather than legal advice, and the short answer is that it usually turns on how they got in.
Read more ›Pest Control And Your Food Hygiene Rating
The treatment is half of it. The paperwork is the half that gets scored.
Read more ›Preparing For A Treatment
Some of this genuinely changes the result. Some of it just saves time. Both are worth doing.
Read more ›Which Trade Does What
We would rather tell you it is somebody else’s job than take the money and leave you with it.
Read more ›One-Off Treatment Or A Contract?
Contracts suit some premises and are a waste of money for others. Here is the honest test.
Read more ›Wildlife Law, And What Cannot Be Treated
Some of the things people ring about are protected, and a firm that offers to deal with them anyway is offering to break the law on your behalf.
Read more ›Pests When Buying Or Selling A House
It comes up more often than people expect, usually at the worst possible moment in the chain.
Read more ›Pest Control In A Flat Or A Block
The hardest part is rarely the pest. It is that the part of the building causing it is not yours.
Read more ›Carpet Beetle — Common Questions
What does carpet beetle treatment cost?
It is quoted rather than fixed, depending on how much carpet, underlay and upholstery is affected. Free to quote, agreed before any work starts.
How is this different from a moth job?
The visible damage looks similar, but carpet beetle larvae live down in the underlay as often as on the surface, so the treatment is aimed differently. A proper look tells us which we are dealing with.
I keep finding beetles on the windowsill.
Worth acting on even without carpet damage yet - it can be an early sign before the larvae have done visible damage.
Do cut flowers really bring them in?
Yes - the adult feeds outdoors on pollen and is a common way it arrives in a house in the first place.
Will vacuuming alone sort it?
It helps and is worth doing before the visit, but it does not reach larvae established in the underlay, which is where the treatment is aimed.
One Last Thing
If you are finding small striped larvae in the underlay rather than on the carpet surface, that is a reasonable sign it is carpet beetle rather than moths. Either way, describe what you have found and we will tell you honestly which it sounds like.
Get A Free Quote
Tell us your postcode and what you are seeing. We will come back with a time and a fixed price before anything is booked.
Local Experts You Can Trust
Fast, effective, affordable pest control for homes and businesses across the whole of Kent. Fully qualified technicians, fixed prices, every service guaranteed.