Can you identify the most common beetles and insects in flats?

Some little bug will always find its way into your well-kept home. You might bring it back from a shop, from a walk outside or from the neighbours. Dealing with them is always tricky. But can you recognise the most common beetles and insects that love to creep into your home?

Carpet beetles

If you have a carpet, you may well come across a carpet beetle. Three species can turn up in it, and they look very similar. The difference between them, however, is their colour.

Varied carpet beetle

These small beetles have a body that is either solid-coloured or spotted, in yellow, black, white or brown. They are usually 3 millimetres long. The larvae are oval or elongated and have brown or black bristles.

Black carpet beetle

As an adult, this beetle has a firm black body and brownish legs. The larvae range from light yellow through golden to dark brown. They grow up to 5 millimetres long.

Common carpet beetles

These have black, white, red or orange scales. However, their larvae are reddish brown and covered in fine hairs.

Clothes moth

Have you found a worm-like insect with a tough body on your coat? Then your unwelcome visitor is the clothes moth. Their larvae are usually flattened and around 1.3 cm long. They like fur, flannel, wool and even ordinary hair. The adults are also very small.

Flour moth

This is a common food pest. You may hear that you do not have to throw away food contaminated by it, but do so anyway. That way you avoid possible more serious complications. Some experts may recommend putting flour in the freezer for a while to kill the larvae. The flour moth grows up to 12 mm long. The larvae are usually dirty white, but you need a magnifying glass to see them. It is also one of the beetles and insects you can find at home.

Cockroaches

This is a whole different league. Finding a cockroach at home really is a punishment. Their droppings can even cause asthma and allergies, or soil your clothes. They like sweat, stains from bodily fluids, dropped bits of food and starch from laundry. They also love warm food and spilt alcohol, beer most of all. It is worth mentioning that in China they are used to make medicines. A cream made from dried cockroaches is said to heal burns, while a syrup is said to treat ulcers and poor digestion.

Drugstore beetle

It is most often found in food processing facilities, but you can also come across it at home. In the kitchen it mainly goes for sweet foods, spices or even your pets’ kibble. It is at most half a centimetre long and yellowish brown in colour. So how can you tell you have them at home? You will find round exit holes and small holes in paper or plastic food packaging.

Silverfish

This insect likes cotton, linen, rayon and any starched item. It is usually 1.3 cm long. Its body is a mottled silver or brown colour. Silverfish are mainly active at night, and you will most often see them in the attic, where the temperature can exceed 32°C.

Bed bug

In recent years, bed bugs have also been appearing in flats. If you find black dots on the floor or on furniture, you have most likely fallen victim to them. If red bumps have started appearing on your skin, you have intruders at home. Their bites itch very unpleasantly, just like mosquito bites. This certainly does not mean your home is untidy. Quite the opposite. You can bring them home in your suitcase from holiday, in a bag or from public transport. The problem is getting rid of them. Forget home remedies and contact a specialist company straight away.

Finding uninvited beetles and insects at home is always a problem, but everything can be dealt with. If home remedies do not help, you will have no choice but to call in a pest control specialist.