Same price, same treatment, different search. One of them usually has a source you cannot see, 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 frequently have a hidden source — stored wool or a roof void.
| 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 |
| Hidden source | Roof voids, stored wool | Stored wool, undisturbed 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 complete service, published room prices and treatment information.
View Carpet Beetle Control Wealdstone →Often easier than finding a larva, and it costs nothing.
If it is beetles and there is a nest in the roof void above your flat, treating the rooms without dealing with that means doing it again next spring — and it is not something you can fix yourself.
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.
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 Wealdstone →Neither particularly. Beetles more often involve a hidden source, which makes them more likely to recur if that is missed.
Yes. Both feed on keratin.
Send a photograph with your enquiry. It takes seconds.
An old wasp nest in a roof void feeds carpet beetles — and a live one is £90 fixed cost in Wealdstone, 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; moths near the damage.
No. Both are £180 first room and £60 each additional.
It changes where to search. Beetle problems frequently have a hidden source — stored wool or a roof void.
Beetles produce several small separate holes; moths larger eaten areas.
Yes, and it is not rare.
No. Carpet beetle larval hairs can cause an itchy rash. If you are genuinely being bitten, consider fleas or bed bugs.
Send a photograph with your enquiry.
Send a photograph. Same price either way, but knowing which changes where we look.
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