Beetles can lay eggs and populate inside your house. This can become a recurring problem over the years and be very intrusive to the interior and ambiance of your house. If you are worried about this happening to you then here’s a complete guide on how to get rid of beetles inside your house.
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How to easily get rid of beetles breeding inside your house
Getting rid of the beetles is not an expensive issue. It will not take time either. So relax and follow this step-by-step process of how to get rid of beetles inside your house in a safe and sure-shot way.
1. Find where they hide?
You need to look for the corners where they have laid their eggs. Now, this may sound like a pesky task but you do not need to find the teeny tiny eggs on your own. You can simply follow the trail of beetles running around and see where they are coming from or roaming around.
This could be inside wall crevices, ceilings, kitchen cabinets, or anywhere warm and moist. You should inspect the house thoroughly but be fast. Once you spot their hiding space the actual work starts then.
2. Bring out your vacuum
Chances are that the location beetles have found in your home is fit for their needs. You need to change that. This means making sure that the area is neither moist nor warm. You also need to clean the food mass they have accumulated. While this may look like nothing to the human eye it will be enough to be sustaining an army of beetles.
You could easily remove their access to this spot with a vacuum. Once you vacuum the whole area you would be taking away a food trail, eggs, and any other items that are keeping the insects warm and moist. This will allow you to free up the space for the time being. Chances are any visible beetles may scatter at this point. So you will need to do something more long-term to ensure that no beetles are really coming back here.
3. Grab a spray
In order to actually crucial their growth inside your house you are going to need an insecticide. An insecticide will curb their eggs and kill their tinier offspring. If you aim directly at larger beetles you will get rid of them too. You should ideally spray the entire area where they are hiding and then air it out after an hour or so to make it fresh again.
You should remember that the beetles will die but the spot may be home to other insects, spraying the area will cause some other insects to surface as well. Especially if the hiding spot is deep and has access to wall cavities or crevices. Make sure to get into any such cavities if you know of any. Furthermore, you need to be careful about spraying your own eyes, body, hands, and any food items or areas that you may touch yourself. This is because the spray is very dangerous for the human eyes, skin, and lungs. You should be careful about having your own children in the spray vicinity as they may catch up with the spray and get affected by the side effects.
If you want to be extra careful you can spray the entire area. But for this, you will have to vacate it and then let it dry and aerate before you return. The less exposure of the insecticide to humans the better if you are to stay away from the side effects that go beyond coughing and skin rashes.
4. Don’t leave food crumbs
So the beetles are eating something if they are populating. This could be food leftovers from the floor, tables, or even from the kitchen sink. You need to find the food source and make sure there is all of it. This needs to be done because obviously, the food left around the house is feeding these beetles. Any beetles left safe from the vacuum and unaffected by the spray will want new food that is insecticide free. For this they will return to the available food spree in the form of food crumbs on the kitchen table, utensils and everywhere else they are able to find them.
The easiest way to remove food waste to avoid insect feeding is to soak the dirty dishes immediately after use. You can simply wipe any crumbs on the dining table with a damp cloth. Plus any crumbs should be collected and tossed in the bin or sink, not be left on the table or swiped onto the floor. This is an important step in ensuring that the existing beetles are neither sustaining nor returning.
Another thing you should notice is whether the beetles are eating just food or any house plants, other insects, or pet food as well. Chances are if you have birds or hamsters in your house that the beetles are likely to be eating what’s falling out of their cages. The food you give to smaller pets becomes an easy source for other insects to feed on. You should make sure that there is no spillage and that the selected cage for your pet is able to keep flies out of it.
5. Ensure doors and windows are insect-proofed
Lastly, you need to block access for your beetles. This means no more beetles inside the house if there is no access. Look for space under the doors, in between window panes, on your window gutters and everywhere you can find an inflow of air and light from the outside, check it. Once you do check all these places you will find that there are small access points for insects. You need to insect-proof these.
Install insect traps in all these places. You can fill the part under the door with folded cardboard to prevent the space to allow pests, lizards, insects, and other items from coming inside the house. Another thing you try to do is buy a mat that will create a barrier for insects. This is a folded piece of thermocouple or other foam that you can install under your doors. It will keep all insects out as well.
What do beetles look like?
Beetles come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. They can have a distinct color and look oval from the top angle as opposed to flies that look triangular. The beetles will have color streaks on top of them that set them apart from other insects that fly. However, there are some species that are completely black and round. But, these are available in the wild outdoors, and they will rarely make their way inside the house.
What attracts beetles in your house?
Food crumbs, warm air, moist ambiance and safe hiding spots can attract the beetles inside your house. If your home offers unused space or abandoned corners where other insects are not found but an ample food source paired with easy access then beetles will get in. You will easily have an intrusion consisting of lots of beetles if somehow you let one in. This could be from the garden, from the woods, or nearby areas as well. The key feature that will set beetles apart is their hard shell-like top that resembles a tortoise’s shell.
How do beetles get in the house?
Beetles are most likely to come from opened windows and doors. They will also come inside the house when they are sitting on your clothes or trying to sniff you while you are on your way inside the house. Sometimes flies can come in with groceries or fresh produce as well. You can easily close any spaces that allow beetles to get in and make sure your insect traps are in place to trap any unknowing entrances.
Why are beetles in your house?
Your house has fewer predators as compared to the outdoors. It may offer a good enough food source with not too many threats. This makes it a hot spot for any type of insect to make it their home as well. Beetles will enter your house mainly for a good supply of food and fewer predators that chomp on them. Reducing food access for them and cleaning the moist areas can reduce the presence of flies inside the house.
What smells keep beetles away?
Lavender oil has a repelling scent of its own. Spraying lavender essential oil in corners where you find beetles will become a repellent to some extent. The strong smell of mint or peppermint will keep insects away as well. You can store the smell in aromatics, candles, and diffusers or just use a dropper bottle of oil and spray it in corners.
What home remedy keeps beetles away?
Spraying your house with natural, concentrated lavender oil will keep many insects away. You can use peppermint, spearmint, or vinegar as well. Alternatively, you can use different items in different corners. Lavender oil is bitter, you can use it to make the floors taste bitter. This will keep many creepy crawlies away. You can spray the room with lavender air fresheners to keep flies away. But, if aerosols are not your favorite option you can use a simple diffuser and make the air smell naturally good with lavender essential oil. Dried lavender stems can make your house smell good and repel beetles as well.
How do you fight beetles?
A natural way to fight beetles without using insecticides is by using an all-natural compound that comes from the beautiful white chrysanthemum flowers. This is called Pyrethrin. It will attack the insect’s nervous system and kill them very fast. It is one of the very few ways to fight beetles without using powerful chemicals or engaging in a whole-house cleanup. You can find this in the grocery store or pharmacies. Next, you need to fill a bottle up and place a sprayer on top. Anywhere you find the beetles you will have to spray them on them.
The results will be good but you need to be vigilant of their presence to do this. Alternatively, you can do this by placing the flowers in different vases in different areas of the house. At any time the beetles try to come close to the flowers or eat out of them they will get a hit of the pyrethrin.
You can also use fly traps and insect sprays to control their invasion of your home. This is an easier and reliable method to control their overgrowth. You can do this if you have a gas mask for yourself as you do not want the insecticide to get into your own lungs. After gassing the house to remove beetles you should open your windows and let out the fumes. You will have to invest in fly nets for your windows if you suspect the windows to be the main source of all this trouble for you.
Conclusion
The easiest way to get rid of beetles inside your house is to clean them. You must follow up with a thorough spray of either insect repellent or lavender oil. Adding oil to your diffuser can be a good option as long as no one in your family is allergic to it. Lavender is effective, you can use white chrysanthemums as well as mint leaves or peppermint oils. All of this along with the removal and proper disposal of leftover food waste will help you clean out your house and get rid of these pesky little insects from your house. Make sure to check your pet’s home, windows, and doors to remove any further population of insects inside of the house. Try to keep your kitchen as dry and crumb free as possible. Happy home cleaning!