Beetles
With over 5,000 native beetle species in New Zealand, most are essential to our ecosystems, but certain beetles can become destructive pests. Pest beetles, such as Carpet Beetles, Common Furniture Beetles, and Larder Beetles, can damage food, furniture, and organic materials in homes and businesses. These pests thrive in varied environments and their infestations require tailored treatment strategies to ensure proper eradication.
If you notice beetles in your home or business, it’s important to act fast. Call Flick today for professional beetle pest control solutions.
Commercial Beetle Control
Businesses face significant risks from beetle infestations, including damage to property, goods, and reputation. Flick offers comprehensive Integrated Beetle Control Solutions to ensure a pest-free environment. Our specialists conduct regular inspections and treatments, tailored to your business needs, ensuring the safety of both employees and customers.
Common Beetle Questions
What are common features of beetles?
Beetles belong to the Coleptera order, which is Latin for “sheath wings.” They have three main parts: a head, thorax, and abdomen, just as many other insect species. Additionally, they have two wings and three sets of legs. The primary distinction is that the forewings of beetles create a tough, protective sheath that shields the sensitive hindwings.
What do beetles eat?
There are more than 5,000 different kinds of native beetles, thus their diets are very diverse. Pest beetles feed on a range of materials including wood, grains, and organic products. The insects that consume organic material like carpet, wood, and other contained organics like cloth and textiles are the most destructive, and they include furniture beetles, powderpost beetles, and carpet beetles. Pest insects that live in stores, like the Larder Beetle, can be discovered in your home feasting on a wide variety of foods, including grains, rice, flour, or prepared foods like cookies and bread. Food becomes contaminated as a result, necessitating its destruction.
Where do beetles live?
Although they can be found in most settings, beetles are a diverse group of creatures that grow best in warm climates. Its qualities also differ greatly from one another. While some groups are herbivores, others are carnivores. Others eat mushrooms, while some are mostly found in flowers where they feed on pollen and nectar. Others reside under trees or beneath their bark. Pest beetles invade homes and eat food or goods made of wood. Beetles can thrive in various environments, from wood to stored food.
In what ways are beetles pests?
There are more than 5,000 native beetles in New Zealand, but only a small number of them are regarded major pests because they eat wood, grain, organic products, or food. Beetles can invade storage facilities and cause serious issues for agricultural businesses.
What is the beetle life cycle?
Most beetles go through four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. In many cases, larvae can seriously harm things, as with the Carpet Beetle, but the appearance of adult beetles may only indicate moisture issues.
Common Beetle Species
Carpet Beetle
Apppearance
The 0.5 to 1mm translucent eggs are round. The 4mm long, dark-colored larvae are covered in hard bristles. Actually, adults are smaller. They have a speckled colouring and are 2-3 mm.
Lifestyle
The lifespan of carpet beetles is 9 to 12 months. They can fly into houses through open doors and windows, and they may seriously harm carpets, fabrics, and clothing. They eat pollen and plant nectar in their natural habitat. Vacuuming may not totally get rid of these pests when they burrow in carpet; a pest control expert’s chemical treatment is advised.
Habits
Although there are many different varieties and colours of carpet beetles, they are often yellow, white, and black. But they all consume animal proteins or products made from animals. These include minor animal remains as well as furs, carpets, ants, clothing, hair, silk, insulation, dried insects, seeds, and grains.
Common Furniture Beetle
Apppearance
The brown Common Furniture Beetle reaches lengths of 3 to 4 mm. They start off as a 1mm long, tiny, white, coiled grub.
Lifestyle
They thrive in high humidity. Once they have passed the larval stage, furniture beetles will expel coarse faeces with a texture like to table salt. Keep in mind that Common Furniture Beetles feed while they are still larvae. They only reproduce as adults.
Habits
Pine woods are particularly beloved by the Common Furniture Beetle. Seasoned Baltic pine, New Zealand white pine, hoop pine, English oak, and certain other exotic pine woods have all been known to suffer harm from it. The furniture beetle might be to blame if you see holes in the floors or in your wooden furniture. They Target wooden furniture and structural timber.
Larder Beetle
Apppearance
A dark surface with light golden hairs. striking yellow-brown streaks along the length of the front of the wing covers, and three brown spots on the body parts with the yellow hair. Large; typically 7-9mm, but capable of reaching 15mm.
Lifestyle
Larder Beetles are a global problem. In many parts of the world, it is a typical pest of homes and storage facilities (also known as “larders”). They consume animal products, although they may also eat grains and other high-protein plant materials. They are known for infesting stored food and animal products. Females lay approximately 135 eggs near a food source, and the eggs will hatch in about 12 days. Larder Beetle life cycles typically last 40 to 50 days.
Habits
Animal hides, skins, leather, smoked meats, fish and meat meals, bone, and various dried foods are all consumed by larder beetles. They are so frequently employed at academic institutions and scientific research facilities. They are used to remove the corpse’s or the skull’s dead flesh so that the bones can be examined, investigated, and recorded in their natural state.
I found Beetles! Help!
Don't worry, we're here to help. Follow these steps to stay safe until help arrives!
Call a Professional
Call Flick Pest Control Immediately.
If you encounter beetles in your home or business, you may be dealing with an infestation. Don’t wait until the problem gets out of hand – we can help protect your property and ensure the health and safety of those around you. Fill out the form below or call 0800 710 010 today.
Leave the Beetles Alone
Trust Flick Pest Control to handle the situation
Our pest control technicians have the knowledge, experience, and tools necessary to effectively and safely eliminate pests from your home or business. Attempting to treat beetles on your own can be risky and may not fully eradicate the problem.
We will and ensure a safe and effective outcome for your property.
There May be More!
Don’t Go Looking Around!
Flick’s pest control experts will perform a thorough inspection of the property to identify any areas where beetles may be present, followed by the development of a treatment plan tailored to the specific needs of the situation. By implementing effective pest control strategies, we can help ensure a pest-free environment for you.