PCOs Expand Services with Fabric Pest Protection

In last month’s column I outlined the possibility of a moderate resurgence of this business in the next decade. It is a "Myth Conception" that these scavengers have disappeared. The are very much a part of our urban environment and are once again making their presence felt.

By questioning PCOs at the National Pest Control Association Convention in Miami Beach, I found that the carpet beetle/clothes moth market has indeed perked up.

In the past, the black carpet beetle was the predominant fabric pest. But today, the varied carpet beetle, Anthrenus verbasci, is Fabric Pest Enemy No. 1. One reason may be the flying range of this species. According to industry consultant Dr. Tom Parker, the varied carpet beetle flies fairly high and readily enters buildings through open windows, under eaves and through attic vents.

While mosquitoes and bed bugs require blood to produce eggs, carpet beetles require nectar and pollen. Thus a wide variety of plants near our homes attract these beetles. Parker says that great numbers of a strain of these adult beetles feed on the pollen of such plants as white roses, viburnum, spiraea and about 30 species of flowers. Mating adults were found on cluster flowers of spiraea.

MAKING A LIVING. PCO Richard Whitman of Beckley, W.Va., claims that during the past 10 years he has seen an increase in varied carpet beetle infestations. He frequently finds them in old dog food. He also finds dead beetles, having been attracted to light, in sliding glass door channels. People call Whitman because they are annoyed by the beetles rather than any damage caused b the insects.

Louisiana PCO Doug MacPherson reports a 50 percent increase in beetle infestations in the past decade. Also from Louisiana, PCO Willie Stone found varied carpet beetles in rug runners stored in an attic and in a thick Moroccan rug.

Ohio PCO John Patton claims the incidence of carpet beetles has tripled in recent years because of the widespread affluence of the 1980s, which introduced more wool into homes. Most of his jobs involved varied carpet beetles. But T. Roy Young III, a veteran PCO from Florida, notes that because expensive woolen garments are often donated to charities after four or five years’ use, this helps to spread the affluent pest food throughout the less affluent community.

Virginia entomologist Eric Smith tells me that he often finds carpet beetles in light fixtures, but he thinks an important reservoir is the forgotten rugs or remnants stored in attics or basements. Attics often serve as an abundant source of protein-rich detritus left behind by generations of birds, bats, wasps, bee, mice, rats and other creatures that inhabit these out-of-the-way locations. In basements, or in other sites where spider webs are common, cast-off arthropods offer a rich and ready food source for carpet beetles.

Whitmire Research Laboratories executive Dan Stout found a heavy case-bearing clothes moth infestation in a Moroccan rug. He thinks that the improved standard of living of many Americans has vastly increased the potential for a fabric pest explosion.

In Ohio, Extension Entomologist William Lyons attempted to qualify the changing incidence of fabric pests in his state. Records from county agents throughout Ohio indicate that the number of calls for information about fabric pests in 1983 almost doubled in the following two years. The pilot programs were initiated to document the number of calls for the fabric pests encountered by Ohio PCOs during 1986, 1987, and 1989. The calls received by the extension service in 1986 were more than doubled the following three years (total calls divided by the number of respondents). Unfortunately, budget cuts curtailed the survey in 1990.

A PROFITABLE BUSINESS. No one I know has capitalized on this old/new business as well as Texas PCO Joe Eakin. When checking a home for termites, he also checks for carpet beetles. He finds about one-third of the homes he inspects are infested with the fabric-eating beetles. The owner is usually unaware of the problem and is grateful that the potential loss to valuable fabrics and rugs could be prevented. Eakin gets from $125 to $250 per job.

Some of his business comes from word-of-mouth advertising from an "overweaver," specializing in repairing moth-eaten fabrics. While making his usual termite inspection, Eakin checks clothes closets, rug perimeters in all rooms and stored articles in the attic. He looks for cast larval skins and frass. An interesting observation he made was the frequent discovery of varied carpet beetles in homes surrounded by dogwood trees. He finds the white petals of young dogwood trees are sometimes covered with varied carpet beetle adults and believes that’s how they enter homes so readily.

WHAT’S AHEAD? Procedures and materials to remedy carpet beetle/clothes moth infestations are changing rapidly. New strategies and materials for coping with these scavengers will be explored in the next issue of PCT, along with several surprise "Myth Conceptions" involving varied carpet beetles.

Harry Katz is a columnist for PCT magazine.

Back