Hide Beetle Control

Quick Information
Hide Beetle Control

Hide Beetle Control

Most Effective Products

Supreme IT Insecticide
Suspended Concentrate
As low as $54.99
Novacide Flea & Tick Killer
Aerosol
As low as $27.99
D-Fense Dust Insecticide
Dust
As low as $11.54
Keith's Pro Tips

"When you have Hide Beetles in your home, it may be an indication that there is something in the home that may be rotting like perhaps a dead rodent between the walls, in the roof-space or the chimney. Scanning your home and disposing of it can be a natural form of getting rid of hide beetles."

Hide Beetles Control: How To Get Rid of Hide Beetles

This page is a general Hide Beetles control guide. Using the products and methods suggested you will get control of Hide Beetles. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of Hide Beetles.

Don’t let the name confuse you, Hide Beetles aren’t named as such because they like to hide. Though they do a good job of hiding, when you’re trying to look for them, they are named Hide Beetles because of their affinity to feast on dead animal hides. That is also why they are alternatively called skin beetles or leather beetles. These beetles are not a pretty sight as they usually are black, bumpy and warty.

Hide Beetles are found anywhere that provides them with a food source, usually close to an animal carcass, but they can also infest other areas of the home. They could be in carpeting, in food storage, furniture, and but primarily close to animal hides. They commonly infest homes when a dead carcass or animal hide is found inside. After all, they get their name from their eating habits, which includes animal hides, skins, and feathers.

Hide beetles have such a ferocious appetite for flesh and hair that they are used in forensics when there is a dead body that needs bones to be cleaned for examination. While they can be beneficial in such cases, if they make way into your home looking for things to feed on, this can cause a considerable problem.

If you are encountered an infestation of Hide Beetles, follow our helpful DIY guide below to learn how you can eliminate this problem pest using professional products and techniques.

Identification

Hide Beetles how to get rid of hide beetles

Before you can proceed with treatment, you need to be sure that the pest you are dealing with is a hide beetle and not some other insect. Misidentification can lead to using the wrong treatment methods and products, which can end up being a large waste of time and money.

Because Hide Beetles can often be mistaken for other small insects, correct identification is essential to proper control. Some of the defining characteristics of the Hide Beetle include the following:

  • Hide Beetles range between 5 to 10 mm in length.
  • They are dark brown or black in color and usually have a white underside or belly.
  • Their body also has small white or yellow hairs on its body.
  • Hide Beetle Larvae are reddish-brown to black in color and are cigar-shaped with differently sized hairs throughout its body
  • Larvae have two distinct horns at the end of their abdomen
  • Hide beetles along with the larder beetles are similarly shaped and belong to the Dermestes family of beetles.

Use the description and image above to properly identify Hide Beetles on your property. If you are not entirely sure, contact us and we will have one of our pros assist you with correct identification.

Inspection

animal mounts hide beetles infestation

Once you have confirmed that you are dealing with hide beetles, you can move on to inspection. During this phase, you will need to find out where the Hide Beetles are located and the places they are infesting. This will help you in determining where to focus your treatment application.

Where to Inspect

Indoors you're looking in storage areas, living rooms, garages, attics, and basements, and pantries. Look in the rooms where animal hides and animal mounts are stored. Also, looked in carpeting, rugs, and items of clothing with fur. In the pantries look inside food goods to see if any food goods are contaminated. Most infestations will be concentrated indoors, but outdoors look for possible animal carcasses.

What To Look For

You're looking for Hide Beetles larvae and the Hide Beetles themselves. They will usually be found near animal hides, animal mounts, in carpeting, in rugs, in clothing with fur, and food goods. Larvae will look like small worms with two distinct horns at the end of the abdomen. If you find any infested items you will have identified the source of the infestation.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed Hide Beetles activity it is time to begin treatment. Remember to first read all product labels and follow the application instructions on these labels, and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment.

To successfully get rid of Hide Beetles, you will need to perform an indoor treatment of Supreme IT Insecticide, Novacide, and D-Fense Dust. Supreme IT is a powerful liquid concentrate that is great for treating cracks, crevices and entry points. Novacide contains an IGR (Insect Growth Regulator) that will treat undeveloped stages of Hide Beetles. D-Fense Dust should be applied to voids and crevices. It will last for up to 8 months where applied, killing any possible stragglers.

Step 1 - Preliminary Cleanup

hide beetles infestation

Before beginning treatment, you need to conduct a preliminary clean up in preparation for applying control products. You will collect all the infested items and freeze them or either wash or dry them or dispose of them to kill and get rid of all the larvae and adult Hide Beetles that might be hiding in these items.

Begin by washing and drying in high heat any item that is infested. Make sure the items can be washed and heat dried, if not considered dry cleaning them or disposing of the items. For animal hides and animal skins freeze them to completely kill larvae and Hide Beetles.

Also don’t forget to check your stored food goods, as these could also be contaminated and must be disposed of if you notice beetles inside the food goods. When checking for food goods don’t forget to also check pet food.

Step 2 - Apply Novacide Aerosol

novacide application hide beetles

After you have completed cleaning, apply Novacide Aerosol. Novacide comes in a ready to use aerosol spray. Simply spray in the areas where the infestation occurred (or where the items infested where found). Spray the flooring by holding the can upside down and spraying 36" off the floor into baseboards and carpeting using a sweeping motion. 

Spray Novacide on baseboards, carpeting, wood flooring, finished taxidermy like mounted animals, drapery, furniture, area rugs and pretty much any kind of hide or fabric. Treat these areas every few months to make sure you have a preventative barrier; once a month when treating an active infestation.

If you noticed contaminated food goods in the pantry areas, clear off the pantry areas of any food goods and spray about 1 to 2 inches for every 1 to 2 feet. Do not let people or pets areas sprayed until 2 to 4 hours have passed.

Step 3 - Spray Supreme IT Insecticide

Applying reclaim IT to treat Hide Beetles

Mix 0.33 to 1 fl. oz of Supreme IT per 1,000 sq. feet with a gallon of water in a pump sprayer. Spray indoors only as a crack and crevice treatment. Spray in the areas where infestation took place, apply in baseboards, and small cracks and crevices. Do not spray the whole flooring or use as space spray only apply as a crack and crevice treatment in areas where infestation took place. Do not let people or pets enter areas treated until 2 to 4 hours have passed.

Step 4 - Apply D-Fense Dust

Applying D-Fense Dust to treat Hide Beetles

Finally, treat voids, cracks and crevices with D-Fense Dust. You will need a handheld duster to help you better apply the D-Fense Dust with precision. Fill the handheld duster with D-Fense dust halfway, leaving ample room for air to circulate inside the duster. 

Apply by squeezing the duster, in the rooms where you found the infested items, especially in cracks and crevices where Hide Beetles might be hiding. Apply along baseboards and in any small cracks and crevice in the rooms where you found the infestation.

Prevention

reclaim it exclusion of entry points

After the Hide Beetles have been controlled successfully, you have to put into place preventative measures to ensure they don't reinfest. 

  • Start by sealing any possible entry points. Make sure to seal or block all the small openings and obvious entry points around your property with either caulk or Copper Mesh, or black foam. By blocking access into your property insects (including Hide Beetles) and wildlife will have a harder time infesting your property.
  • Keep food goods in tightly sealed containers. If every food good in the pantry is closed securely the beetles will have fewer food sources.
  • Use an insecticide such as Supreme IT as a protective barrier around the outside perimeter of your home every 3 months. This will ensure there is a protective insecticidal barrier around the outside of your structure that will repel and kill insects that try to make their way indoors.

Key Takeaways

What are Hide Beetles?

  • Hide beetles can become an annoying pest when they enter into homes and different structures due to their destructive eating habits.

How to Get Rid of Hide Beetles

  • To control Hide Beetles we recommend the use of professional insecticides such as Novacide Aerosol, Supreme IT and D-Fense Dust.

Preventing Hide Beetle Reinfestation

  • Preventative applications of Supreme IT Insecticide and exclusion measures to block off any points of entry are key to keep a Hide Beetle reinfestation from happening.
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