# Maggots... No food source... So why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2018, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412 "2018-08-11T01:17:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CCinPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@CCinPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCinPA)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/1 "2018-08-11T01:17:53Z")
I have maggots on my garage floor. I have always hung stuff from/on the walls… So nothing sits on the floor. The floor-drains are sealed. No rotting anything. BUT… If I lift up a piece of loose carpet… There they are! Why? Help? ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/2 "2018-08-11T01:39:33Z")
The carpet is a food source for insect larvae, they don’t just eat “food food”, they’ll eat fabric as well (think of moth-holes in clothes) ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/3 "2018-08-11T01:59:05Z")
They feed on your fears. And your soul. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/4 "2018-08-11T02:09:42Z")
Yeah, I’m guessing they’re not maggots, but carpet-beetle grubs. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/5 "2018-08-11T14:35:01Z")
Hi **CCinPA**. Welcome to the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![CCinPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@CCinPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCinPA)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/6 "2018-08-11T22:31:37Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Yeah, I’m guessing they’re not maggots, but carpet-beetle grubs. Looked up carpet-beetles… Not them. ---
**Author:** ![CCinPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@CCinPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCinPA)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/7 "2018-08-11T22:35:06Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Hi **CCinPA**. Welcome to the Dope. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CCinPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@CCinPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCinPA)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/8 "2018-08-11T22:38:23Z")
> [@blob](#): > > The carpet is a food source for insect larvae, they don’t just eat “food food”, they’ll eat fabric as well (think of moth-holes in clothes) Messaage received. It’s indoor/outdoor carpet… Surprised it was manufactured for munching! ---
**Author:** ![CCinPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@CCinPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCinPA)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/9 "2018-08-11T22:41:50Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > They feed on your fears. And your soul. So true! ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/10 "2018-08-12T00:29:01Z")
> [@CCinPA](#): > > Messaage received. It’s indoor/outdoor carpet… Surprised it was manufactured for munching! If it’s got cotton or jute or hessian or any natural fibre there, the bugs will find it tasty. Have they been there a long time? Have you seen any adult bugs? If not, it could be a temporary thing. If the larvae don’t “like” what they’ve been laid on, the “parents” might go elsewhere. If they’ve installed themselves, it could be tricky to get rid of them. ---
**Author:** ![CCinPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@CCinPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCinPA)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/11 "2018-08-12T01:27:49Z")
> [@blob](#): > > If it’s got cotton or jute or hessian or any natural fibre there, the bugs will find it tasty. Have they been there a long time? Have you seen any adult bugs? If not, it could be a temporary thing. If the larvae don’t “like” what they’ve been laid on, the “parents” might go elsewhere. If they’ve installed themselves, it could be tricky to get rid of them. Thanks for the thoughts! I just checked… Polyester. I’m a college-educated Fortune-100 retiree. I have to be missing something obvious! ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/12 "2018-08-12T01:38:26Z")
> [@CCinPA](#): > > Thanks for the thoughts! I just checked… Polyester. Is the backing “plasticy”, they might have woven the polyester into a jute backing? Anyway, hopefully they won’t have got very far with the synthetic and it’s a one-off. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/13 "2018-08-12T08:21:29Z")
> [@CCinPA](#): > > I have always hung stuff from/on the walls… So nothing sits on the floor. What sort of stuff? Food sort of stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/14 "2018-08-12T09:33:15Z")
> [@CCinPA](#): > > Thanks for the thoughts! I just checked… Polyester. I think you just confirmed this larva’s extraterrestrial origin. ---
**Author:** ![CCinPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@CCinPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCinPA)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/15 "2018-08-12T11:50:39Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > What sort of stuff? Food sort of stuff? No food stuff. Storage-bins, wall-units, of household stuff. ---
**Author:** ![CCinPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@CCinPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCinPA)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/16 "2018-08-12T11:56:50Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I think you just confirmed this larva’s extraterrestrial origin. Yes! Right? lol ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-no-food-source-so-why/819412/17 "2018-08-12T20:47:20Z")
It sounds more like the habitat for silverfish. Dennis