Matthew Posted June 29, 2014 Share #1 Posted June 29, 2014 Last night I discovered that pretty much every single one of my uniforms was infested with what I believe are carpet beetle larvae. Nothing has been totally ravaged, just new holes and what not. I've been looking at various solutions and have implemented a few, but at this point I'm on the fence about throwing my hands up and selling the whole lot off. What good is it if I go through all the motions just to miss one or two bugs and have the whole thing start over again? Anyone else ever had this problem? Probably going to focus on helmets and paper items from here on out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY Militaria Posted June 30, 2014 Share #2 Posted June 30, 2014 Youcan always put each uniform in the freezer for 24 hours. Kills anything living in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted June 30, 2014 Share #3 Posted June 30, 2014 How'd you notice it? Talk about nightmares... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USdog Posted June 30, 2014 Share #4 Posted June 30, 2014 That sucks... Where were the uniforms stored? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SergeantMajorGray Posted June 30, 2014 Share #5 Posted June 30, 2014 What does the carpet beetle look like? I used to have these beetle like bugs once but never noticed any damage on anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share #6 Posted June 30, 2014 Carpet beetles are extremely small, black with minor color, and are about the size of the tip of a pencil. The adult beetles do no damage, just the larvae which are even smaller and look like miniature caterpillars. All of my uniforms were stored in a closet, hanging on wooden hangars. I found out about it while looking for a specific item I had stored away only to find the bugs chewing up a Japanese flag I had stored, after that I went through every bit of cloth I have and found new damage on a majority of it. I spent today boxing up my uniforms in plastic bins along with moth balls, which I DID NOT want to do but I really don't see any other method that kills everything 100% dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
normaninvasion Posted June 30, 2014 Share #7 Posted June 30, 2014 I believe freezing and steam heat will kill the bugs. I got out of uniforms because it was a hassle. However I have headgear and I will use a wall paper steamer to give them a once over to make sure there are no problems. Think it cost me $40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Costa Posted July 1, 2014 Share #8 Posted July 1, 2014 AT LEAST THEY ARE NO BED BUGS--- AND I AM NOT MAKING FUN OF YOUR SITUATION. WHEN YOU BRING SOMETHING INTO YOUR HOUSE, COLLECTION, YOU DONT KNOW WHERE IT WAS BEFOREHAND AND WHO HAD IT. ONE OF THE HEARTACHES OF BUYING AND STORING HISTORY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted July 1, 2014 Share #9 Posted July 1, 2014 I swept and tidied in the room out of fear from your experience, and it was all clear. I think I'll be clearing out a space in the freezer from now on for new pieces. All it would take it one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted July 1, 2014 Share #10 Posted July 1, 2014 but at this point I'm on the fence about throwing my hands up and selling the whole lot off. With that intro, I don't think too many people are going to be ready buyers until you get the bugs out of them. I'd personally stick them in the freezer, let anything die, and then take them to the cleaners to get the wrinkles and anything else out. Clean the room well and you should be fine from that point on. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share #11 Posted July 1, 2014 With that intro, I don't think too many people are going to be ready buyers until you get the bugs out of them. I certainly meant after the bug situation was dealt with, I would NEVER sell anything that I knew was actively infested. Still on the fence about selling any of it at this moment though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VladimirBerkov Posted February 25, 2015 Share #12 Posted February 25, 2015 Freezer is good, though I've heard it can take up to two weeks before it's effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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