• Question from:Marie

Can the carpet beetle be harmful to humans?

I read on the internet that a carpet beetle larvae was found in a woman's stomach. What happens if we accidentally consume them or their eggs in our food or on plates cutlery etc. I have a carpet beetle problem at home and also have a baby so I am worried to distraction about the harm they could do to us. On the other hand the idea of using insecticides in the home could also be a problem for me with a newborn.   

Thanks

Marie

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  • University of Exeter
  • Posts: 763

Any live carpet beetles (eggs/larvae/adults) accidentally consumed would die fairly quickly in the digestive tract so I really don't think there is any health risk there. Additionally they are not poisonous and don't carry any (human) diseases so really health issues are minor. Obviousy they can ruin your carpets, rugs, clothes etc though so if you are concerned maybe talk to either a pest control company or your local authority - they will be able to give you advice about controlling the beetles in a baby-friendly way.

For interest, below is the probable source of the "carpet beetle in a woman's stomach" - it sounds a bit disgusting, but not too scary!


A CARPET BEETLE LARVA (COLEOPTERA : DERMESTIDAE) FROM THE DIGESTIVE TRACT OF A WOMAN

Wilson and Judd 1956 Journal of Parasitology

On July 21, 1955 a woman forty-three years old in London, Ontario experienced a sensation of peri-anal itching, and suspecting the presence of pin-worms, examined a stool following a bowel movement. In it was found a small, dead "worm". When examined by the writer this proved to be a larva, 7 mm. long, of a beetle of the genus Attagenus as identified with keys in B. E. Rees (1943. Classification of the Dermestidae (larder, hide, and carpet beetles) based on larval characters, with a key to the North American genera. U.S. Dept. Agric., Miscell. Publ. No. 511). It closely resembled the larva of Attagenus piceus figured by A. Gibson and C. R. Twinn (1939. Household insects and their control. Dept. Agric., Canada, Publ. No. 642). A. piceus is a beetle of cosmopolitan distribution and its larva feeds on furs, skins, woolen fabrics, stored grains and cereals (Busvine, J. R. 1951. Insects and Hygiene. Methuen and Co., London).