Same price, same treatment, different search. One of them usually has a source in your loft, and that is why the question is worth five minutes.
Look at the larva. Beetle larvae are brown and densely bristly and leave shed skins. Moth larvae are smooth and cream, often with silk webbing.
Both are treated identically at £180 first room, £60 each additional. The distinction matters because beetle problems in a house frequently have a loft source.
| Carpet beetle | Carpet moth | |
|---|---|---|
| Larva | Brown, bristly, up to ~5mm | Smooth, cream, up to ~10mm |
| Webbing | None | Often silk tubes or a case |
| Shed skins | Very obvious | Less obvious |
| Adult | Rounded mottled beetle, 2–4mm | Small pale moth, ~6–8mm |
| Adult flight | Flies well, drawn to light | Weak flier, avoids light |
| Where adults appear | Windowsills | Near the damage |
| Damage on clothing | Several small separate holes | Larger irregular areas |
| Typical source | Loft, nests, stored wool | Stored wool, undisturbed carpet |
| Spread | Wider — adults fly | Along continuous carpet |
Find a larva, put it on something plain, and zoom in with a phone camera.
| What you see | What it is |
|---|---|
| Brown and obviously hairy or bristly | Carpet beetle larva |
| Smooth, cream, maybe in a silk tube | Carpet moth larva |
| Bristly but empty and papery | Carpet beetle shed skin |
| Silk webbing across the damage | Carpet moth |
| Only holes and debris | Could be either — look under the furniture |
See our full carpet beetle treatment service, published room prices and identification advice.
View Carpet Beetle Control Edgware →If it is beetles and there is a bird's nest in your eaves, treating the bedrooms without dealing with that means doing it again next spring.
On knitwear the distinction is clearest: a jumper with a scatter of small round holes is usually beetles; one with a larger eaten area is usually moths.
Yes, and it is not rare — they eat the same materials and thrive in the same conditions. A property with a long-standing wool carpet problem can support both.
Another reason not to agonise: the treatment covers both.
If someone is genuinely being bitten in a property with a pet, fleas are the far more likely answer — ankle bites are the tell.
Both treated identically at the same published rate. Tell us which you think you have, or send a photograph — it affects where we look rather than what we charge.
Read nextCarpet Moth Control Edgware →Neither particularly. Beetles more often involve a hidden source, which makes them more likely to recur if it is missed.
Yes. Both feed on keratin.
Send a photograph with your enquiry. It takes seconds and it changes where we look.
An old wasp nest in a loft feeds carpet beetles — a live one is £90 fixed in Edgware, guaranteed.
Beetle larvae are brown and densely bristly and leave shed skins. Moth larvae are smooth and cream, often with silk webbing.
Beetles on windowsills, because they fly well and are drawn to light. Moths near the damage, because they are weak fliers that avoid light.
No. Both are £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional.
It changes where to search. Beetle problems in a house frequently have a loft source — an old bird's nest or similar.
Beetles produce several small separate holes; moths larger eaten areas.
Usually, because the adults fly. Moth larvae crawl and stop at a threshold bar.
Yes, and it is not rare. The treatment covers both.
No. Carpet beetle larval hairs can cause an itchy rash. If someone is genuinely being bitten on the ankles and there is a pet, consider fleas.
Send a photograph. Same price either way, but knowing which changes where we look.
Prefer to talk? Call 0203 151 6640 or WhatsApp us.
