Last week, one of our readers discovered a very tiny worm-like creature on his toilet paper roll. He sent us a few pictures of the brown colored specimen. He wants to know what the creature eats. He isn’t too concerned about finding this specimen in his home, rather he wants to know if he releases it outside will it be able to find food to survive. How thoughtful! Here are some photos this reader sent us:
When the reader described this specimen as “tiny” he was not lying!!! With minuscule size arises the difficulty of examining the details in the features of this creature. However, we recognize the white and brown stripes lining its body. We believe this is a carpet beetle larva!
It is ironic that our reader is curious what this little larva eats and is concerned about it starving outside because the carpet beetle larva could very likely be eating the toilet paper roll it was found on! Carpet beetle larvae feed on carpeting (as their name hints), upholstered furniture, materials, animal hair, cardboard, paper, and other fibers around a household. They can be considered pests because they can be quite destructive, eating through couches and bedding, if the invasion isn’t handled right away. Our reader should definitely place this critter outside, and then begin to search for the primary food source for these larvae. Since he found this critter in the bathroom (we assume this because it was on a toilet paper roll) he should check the bathroom linens, tissues, and other materials that could be a food source. Once he finds the source he should remove it. He should also start a cleaning regiment that includes plenty of sweeping, vacuuming, and laundering to get rid of these larvae.
To conclude, a reader found a tiny creature on his toilet paper roll. We are confident that he has discovered a carpet beetle larva.
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Oh no your right on the money I’m dealing with the very exact thing I’ve lost sleep feel awful all the time rest assured I have these things every place I look it seems.
Noticed carpet beetle worms inside unopened toilet paper too.
I was given toilet paper that had been in storage for many many years. There was a few bugs on it when I pulled it out of the package. I quickly put it back and put it in a sealed plastic bag. I will not open it to look at it. What do you think it could be. They were dark brown. And the tp smelled like very old books.
I totally agree with the above poster! FLUSH THAT, and get busy trying to find where it came from! Look everywhere, including HVAC return filters. What do they eat? They eat everything in your home! Your pet’s kibble, dust bunnies behind heavy furniture (and the furniture itself if it is pressed wood), mattress stuffing, clothing, dead bugs in wall voids, insulation…they eat EVERYTHING! You had better protect your clothing and food, unless you like holes in your clothes and bugs in your food.
Oh heck yes that thing should not be merely put outside but smashed to death! Carpet Beatle larva have literally cost me thousands of dollars in damage to my luxury handbags and clothing, the need to replace carpet w/ hardwood flooring, and the emotional toll has also been overwhelming. I believe I have PTSD as this infestation came right after a subterranean termite poked its head out of my existing hardwood floors in Christ morning 2015. That mess only cost about $5k to handle but at least it’s been handled…these CB larva just don’t know when to stop. The worse thing is that I have REALLY good hearing and I can hear these little pests chewing. Seriously, pest control guy confirmed that where I was hearing sounds originate from, there was always a bug. My new phrase where there is one, you’re sure to find a ton!” For the rfirst record, despite being utterly surrounded w/ these creeps, they do not and cannot bite humans. Some people may have a sensitivity to their hairs but they are parasite; merely a heinous pest that has for the the time being, ruined my life. Also, I have never felt anything crawling on or in my skin; they really don’t like live humans. So, I may sound crazy, but please base that on the fact that I’m perhaps overly dramatic or something and not on my the fact that I’m saying I can hear bugs.