Does Raid Kill Carpet Beetles? Or Are There Safer Options?

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Yes, the raid spray does kill carpet beetles.

It has active ingredients like piperonyl butoxide, D-phenothrin, permethrin, and tetramethrin which are effective beetle and fly killers.

But there’s a way to use Raid.

You have to spray Raid directly on the carpet beetles and on their larvae to kill them.

However, Raid isn’t a carpet beetle repellant.

Adult carpet beetles fly inside your home through open doors and windows to lay eggs inside your home.

If you spray Raid on the door frames, window frames, and crevices in walls and furniture to repel the carpet beetles, it might not work.

Why?

Raid doesn’t have long enough residual toxicity that can stop the carpet beetles from sneaking inside your home.

Raid will also not kill the carpet beetles if you spray it on their hiding places or at the sources of carpet beetles inside your home.

The spray might not make any contact with hidden beetles hiding in the cracks.

Also, the carpet beetle larvae can be in your bed, couch, in the food stored in the kitchen pantry, and even inside your closet, cupboards, and wardrobe.

So, relying solely on Raid and other insecticide sprays can be ineffective to kill and prevent carpet beetles.

The chemicals in the spray is highly toxic to pets, children, and adult humans.

Thankfully there are other options too.

Let’s find them out.

Natural And Safe Carpet Beetle Killers

The adult carpet beetles that fly inside your home to lay eggs are not pests.

The adult beetles are helpful bugs that feed on the pollen from flowers, and they’re also pollinators.

It’s also easy to get rid of carpet beetle larvae in your home and prevent an infestation without hiring professional pest control.

The larvae of the carpet beetles hatch out of these eggs that are the pantry, home, and storage pests.

They look like a tiny worm with hairy bristles on their bodies. You can find the larvae in your bed too if they’re in your bedroom.

That’s why the carpet beetle larvae fall in the category of bed worms too.

And carpet beetle infestation in homes is because by multiple carpet beetle larvae.

The carpet beetle larvae damage things like carpets, rugs, couches, and fabric made of natural fibers like wool, silk, leather, fur, feather, and cotton.

The carpet beetle larvae don’t bite humans. It doesn’t spread any diseases either.

So, using an insecticide spray like Raid to eliminate the carpet beetle larvae is overkill.

It’s like using a sword where a needle is effective.

You can use safe products for you and your pets and effectively eliminate the damaging carpet beetle larvae.

Here are the top three safe and non-toxic products that you can use to eliminate the carpet beetle larvae –

#1 – Boric Acid

Boric acid is a lethal carpet beetle larvae killer. You can use boric acid to eliminate invasive and damaging pests like termites.

All you’ve to do is sprinkle boric acid on places where you’ve noticed the carpet beetle larvae or the damages caused by carpet beetle.

You can scatter it on your carpets, rugs, soft furnishings like couches and accent chairs, beds, and even inside your dresser drawers and closet.

Let the boric acid sit for 1-2 hours.

Then use a vacuum cleaner to clean these places and remove the boric acid.

Dispose of the vacuum cleaner dust bag containing the boric acid and the dead carpet beetle larvae outside your property.

Boric acid is a desiccant. It penetrates the exoskeleton of bugs and absorbs the moisture locked in their bodies.

That causes severe dehydration in the bugs, and it kills them.

#2 – Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth is another safe option for you to get rid of carpet beetle’s larva.

Diatomaceous earth is made from diatoms. Diatoms are fossilized planktons that are sharp.

And diatomaceous earth works the same way as boric acid does.

It cuts through the bugs’ bodies and soaks up the moisture and fats that keep them alive.

Use it in the same way as you’ll use boric acid. And vacuum clean the surfaces where you’ve used it after a couple of hours.

Use food-grade diatomaceous earth. It’s also safe for you, your children, and your pets.

#3 – Soapy Water

Soapy water is the easiest to prepare carpet beetle larvae killer and, indeed, a no-brainer that many people ignore.

All you’ve to do is mix one tablespoon of dawn dish soap (or any brand of dish soap or detergent powder in your home) with a quarter gallon of water.

Stir the mixture well. And pour the mixture into the spray bottle.

Spray it on the carpet beetle larvae. The larvae will die.

That’s it.

How To Eliminate Carpet Beetle Larvae In Your Stored Food?

The carpet beetle larvae are common pantry pests too.

The adult carpet beetles fly inside your kitchen and target the food stored in weak and not-properly-closed food storage jars to lay their eggs.

And spraying soapy water and Raid on stored food isn’t a good idea. Neither is using boric acid or diatomaceous earth.

Take a pincher and remove the larvae if you’ve noticed the carpet beetle larvae in your stored food like grains, dry fruits, cereals, and spaghettis.

Take a sniff at the food. Check out if you can smell a stale smell from the stored food.

Also, find out if there are clunks of whitish deposits on the food. Those deposits are feces of the carpet beetle larvae.

If you smell staleness and feces in your stored food, it’s best to discard the food.

Then do a thorough cleaning of your entire kitchen, including places like your kitchen cabinets, kitchen cupboards, and kitchen pantry.

2 Best Carpet Beetle Repellents

It’s always wise to use natural repellents to prevent bugs like carpet beetles, moths and flies from flying inside your home.

These flying bugs lay eggs in your home. When the eggs hatch and their larvae mature, these bugs become a nuisance.

And there are two safe and natural things that you can use to keep them out of your home.

First is a peppermint oil spray. And second is a mixture of white vinegar and water.

If you dislike the acidic smell of white vinegar, you can use peppermint spray.

Carpet beetles hate the smell of peppermint spray, and research has proved that peppermint has insecticidal properties that keep many bugs at bay.

Spray the peppermint spray in your kitchen, especially in the tight corners, in your bedroom, couches, carpets, clothing made of leather or silk, taxidermies, and even on your shoes.

There are many tiny bugs other than carpet beetles that infest your kitchen storage areas.

They’ll hide in places like kitchen cupboards, cabinets, and pantry to infest the food that you keep.

So, do not forget to spray the peppermint spray on these places too.

Places like attics, basements, and storage areas are also egg-laying places for carpet beetles, especially when they’re too cluttered.

These places are also home to bugs hibernating like wasps, earwigs, silverfish, and spiders because they too love the clutter and lack of human footfalls in these areas.

So, it’d be best to spray the peppermint oil in these places.

The smell of peppermint from these things will deter the carpet beetles from laying eggs on these products and places.

Clove oil, apple cider vinegar, and eucalyptus oil are proven repellants.

You can use the mixture of white vinegar and water in the same way.

But there’s a catch.

Carpet beetles, clothes moths, and many flying bugs that invade home are attracted to light.

And early spring till late summer is an active season for these bugs when they mate and lay eggs.

So, it’s a good idea to install window screens with fine mesh on your windows and vents.

Also, you can use bug-repelling light bulbs in your yard, patio, and doorways to prevent adult carpet beetles and other flying bugs from flying inside your home.

You are viewing this post: Does Raid Kill Carpet Beetles? Or Are There Safer Options?. Information curated and compiled by Kayaknv.com along with other related topics.

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