Beetles

There are several varieties of beetles that can be very problematic to a home or business in New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Pest management from certified experts, such as Viking Pest, is important to protect your NJ, PA, MD, or DE home or business.

More commonly found today is the Japanese beetle – a notorious garden pest that can destroy plants and spoil the fruit. Inside your NJ, PA, MD, or DE home or business, there are several small beetles that feed on natural material, organic matter, and even human food.

To protect your NJ, PA, MD, or DE home or business from Japanese Beetles, or any other type of beetle, you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.

What are Beetles?

Beetles are a variety of small insects whose hardened wing cases distinguish them from other insects. Viking Pest’s certified entomologist, Craig, explains beetles range in size from about 1/8 inch to upwards of 1 inch in length. Pest control experts at Viking Pest explain each species of beetle feeds on different items, but the beetles that are most often known as pests in New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania all feed on organic material like wood, leaves, wool, food products like grain, or even human byproducts like hair and sweat.

How Do I Identify Beetles?

Exterminators at Viking Pest state the easiest way to identify a beetle is through its hard wing cases that shelter filmy wings. Each unique species of beetle is patterned differently – from the black and white-spotted Asian longhorned beetle to the metallic green and brown Japanese beetle.

Carpet Beetles

As the name suggests, Carpet Beetles often infest carpets fibers. However, that is far from the only reason they make for obnoxious pests. Carpet Beetle larvae ingest a substance known as “keratin,” a fibrous animal protein found in leather, wool, felt, feathers, and more. This makes Carpet Beetles threats to clothing and furniture in addition to carpeting.

Grain Beetles

While not known for biting, stinging, or spreading diseases, Grain Beetles remain one of the most unwanted beetles in NJ, MD, DE, and PA. For while they don’t cause people direct harm, they can still contaminate your food supply. As the name implies, Grain Beetles devour grains, making them competitors with humans for these staple foods. Grain beetle contamination makes infested food stores unusable, costing home and business owners a great deal of money and causing significant amounts of stress.

Ground Beetles

Ground Beetles represent one of the most diverse and most common families of beetles found in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. They are generally nocturnal, making them less likely to be spotted during waking hours. Because of their shape and quick movements, they can be easily mistaken for cockroaches. They tend to lurk around the perimeters of rooms and hide in the dark and damp parts of your home.

Powder Post Beetles

Powder Post Beetles are wood-destroying insects making them a direct threat to peoples’ homes. Powder Post Beetles are quite small, frequently ¼ inch or less long, making them difficult to spot with the naked eye. Because they leave behind sawdust from the wood they consume, many people incorrectly assume that a powder post beetle infestation is, in fact, a termite or carpenter ant infestation. Their presence is often discovered by the tiny holes they bore into wood or during an evaluation for a WDIR (Wood Destroying Insect Report).

How Do I Get Beetles?

Pest control experts at Viking Pest explain the easiest way beetles are introduced to the interior of a home or business in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland or Delaware is through a contaminated item like a package of food or a piece of furniture or decor. Beetles can also enter through an open doorway or gaps in foundations or siding in search of food and shelter.

What Are the Effects of Beetles in and around My Home or Business?

Having a beetle infestation is not only unsanitary, but it can also quickly expand. It’s irresponsible to operate a business that is selling contaminated products, and many business owners will close for days to deep-clean after an infestation.

It’s important to get rid of beetles as soon as you find evidence of them in your NJ, PA, MD, or DE home or business. Beetles can feed on food products and damage clothing, carpet, and bamboo or wood furniture. Outside, they can damage plants and trees. For gardeners or farmers, beetle control is extremely important to avoid losing produce as explained by exterminators at Viking Pest.

How Long Do Beetles Live?

Viking Pest’s certified entomologist, Craig, explains once they’re out of their larval stage, beetles only live between 30-45 days. However, females can lay dozens of eggs in their lifetime, which develop from grubs to fully-grown beetles in about 10 months.

How Do I Prevent Beetles?

Our extermination experts at Viking Pest suggest the best way to control the beetles in your home or business is to exercise diligent beetle prevention. Check over any item you bring inside, and make sure it does not show any evidence of beetle contamination, such as visible beetles, eggs, or shed larval casings. Deep-clean your closets and inspect dark corners regularly to ensure you’re not the unwitting host of a beetle infestation.

Outdoors, you can protect your vulnerable plants like rose bushes and grapevines from Japanese beetles by inspecting them regularly and picking away any visible beetles.

Protecting Your Home or Business From Beetles With Viking Pest Control

Viking Pest offers expert treatment designed to effectively and efficiently control and prevent pests from invading your home or business in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. Our use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques focuses on finding the core of the pest concern and controlling Beetles from the source. Through IPM, pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, pets, and the environment. Call Viking today for your FREE and NO OBLIGATION estimate at 1-800-618-2847 or Schedule Online today!