What Do You MEAN My Instrument Has BUGS?!

"It's pad bug season" is something we say in the shop every year between the beginning of summer and the first month of school. Most customers are shocked when they receive a phone call telling them they have bugs in their case and they need to purchase a new case, as well as replace all of the pads in their instrument. The price tag on this repair is on the higher end of the more common things we do here in the shop. We often get the questions: "What are pad bugs?", "How did they get in there?" and "How can I prevent this from happening again?"

What are pad bugs?

Pad bugs are also known as carpet beetles. They are a tiny, but very common, pest that can be found anywhere that has shelter and a food source. Carpet beetles will eat almost any naturally occurring fibers they can find, including wool, leather, cotton, and sometimes they'll even eat sloughed off skin and pet food crumbs. A carpet beetle/larva is about the size of a grain of rice.

How did they get in there?

Most often, pad bugs are living in the carpet/carpet padding of low traveled areas like closets, under furniture, and around the edges of rooms. They like to feed in the dark, so what we find happens most often is that a person will put an instrument in a closet over the summer or store if for an extended period of time under a bed. The beetle slips inside the case and is met with a smorgasbord of wool pads, cotton padding in the case and dead skin from the player. The case goes undisturbed for long enough that the beetles can lay eggs in the case and in the pads. One mature female beetle will lay more than 100 eggs at a time and they mature in a little over a month. We usually see the leftover pupae and larva shells in the case, holes chewed in the pads, and a white dust on the instrument that is the beetles stool from eating all that wool.

How can I prevent this from happening again?

If you're going to store an instrument over a summer, make sure it is dry and clean. Vacuum out the case and throw away any used reeds or trash that may have accumulated. Put the case in a plastic bag and tape it shut. Keep it in an area that is not directly on a carpet. Taking these precautions, you should have a bug-free case when you're ready to get it out again. If you are going to store an instrument for a longer period of time, follow the same steps as above, but also make sure this instrument is staying in an environment that is not going to get too cold or too hot. Stored instruments are more likely to end up in an attic or a basement that is not temperature-controlled, and that on its own can cause a whole slew of issues.

Laura Sears has been repairing instruments since 2009. They've worked under several amazing technicians over the years and built their skill set based on the best techniques taught by each one. Quality of repair comes first for Laura , but they always try to do whatever they can to get good playing instruments back into the players hands. When Laura is not at work, they are spending as much time as possible with their husband and three children. Laura's hobbies include sewing, drawing, ice skating and playing games with family and friends.