There are 350,000 different species of beetles worldwide. Primarily found outside, they venture indoors under specific conditions searching for food or warmth against the elements.
Don’t try to control the problem on your own. Short-term solutions won’t stop your beetle problem. There’s are steps to keep beetles from your home. Once you discover beetles within your property, a Seitz Bros. pest control professional can identify the genius, find out how they got in, and create a plan to make your home or business unwelcomed to them.
Pennsylvania Beetles
Some of the most common beetles found in Pennsylvania that you’ll see infesting your home or business include:
Saw-Toothed Grain Beetle
Look into your storage areas where you keep dried goods. Those bugs thrive in the pantry and kitchen areas, especially areas where you store beans and grains.
Although they have wings, these beetles are not known for flying. Adults grow to about 1⁄16 inches long. These pests are easily identifiable with their flat bodies, allowing them to efficiently crawl into cracks and crevices. The thorax is saw-like and possesses six projections on each side.
Tightly sealed food-storage containers prevent beetles from feasting on your dry goods.
Larder Beetle
Like the saw-toothed grain beetle, you’ll find the larder beetle in the kitchen and other places where you store food like in the pantry. This household pest lays its eggs and feeds on dry pet food, cornmeal, animal products, and dead insects. The beetle is dark brown and approximately 1⁄2 inch in length.
The best way to keep this pest away is to clean food storage areas and throw away infested foods. Place all grains and pet foods in airtight containers to discourage infestation.
Black Carpet Beetle
Another nuisance pest, black carpet beetles, are found not only in the kitchen but can destroy your carpets and fabrics throughout your home. This pest eats almost any animal-based material including leather, wool, silk, feathers, and dried plants.
The black to reddish-brown adults are covered with short, sparse hairs and grow from 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inches long.
Beetles may enter a property in various ways. Adult beetles may fly into the house where they lay eggs, and the larvae migrate to other parts of the house. Birds or other small animals die in the attic, chimney, or within other places in a home and become a source of food for the larvae.
It is not uncommon to find one or two black carpet beetles in a house. If you regularly encounter a large number of larvae or adults, it is essential to find the infestation source.
Asian Lady Beetle
At first glance, the Asian Lady Beetle looks very similar to ladybugs but larger. These pests are found in homes looking for warm places from September to April. They vary yellow or red in color, black spots, and broad with an oval shape.
The Asian lady beetles can be a nuisance when they occur in large numbers inside homes, but they do not infest wood, destroy fabrics, eat food, or damage other property. These beetles are not harmful to humans or pets and cannot sting or carry disease.
If searching for food or moisture and disturbed, they will bite hard enough to break the skin, causing minor, short-lived discomfort. Exposure to dead lady beetles in buildings can cause allergic reactions in some people.
On Your Side of the Beetle Battle
Within the United States, there are nearly 30,000 kinds of known beetles, and over 100 beetles are found in the Pennsylvania area. It’s improbable that you’ll come across all 100 beetles, fortunately. Once you see an influx of bugs in your home, reach out to Seitz Bros for a free consultation.
It’s good to know if the spiders you found in your home are a threat or if you suspect you have an infestation. A licensed and highly trained professional will recommend effective prevention methods that to help keep pests away. All forms of our beetle control are safe for humans and pets.
