Carpet beetles can be an annoyance in your home.
Varied carpet beetle common house bugs.
However the presence of carpet beetles indoors usually suggests that their eggs and larvae are somewhere in the house.
The varied carpet beetle anthrenus verbasci is a 3 mm long beetle belonging to the family dermestidae they are a common species often considered a pest of domestic houses and particularly natural history museums where the larvae may damage natural fibers and can damage carpets furniture clothing and insect collections.
Here s what you need to know.
As well as on plant products such as rye meal corn red pepper and other similar materials.
They feed on a variety of animal products such as woolens carpets hides feathers horns bone and insect pupae.
Varied carpet beetle larvae are scavengers.
The pests can also proliferate on bird nests animal carcasses and dead insects cluster flies lady beetles stink bugs wasps etc which tend to be associated with attics chimneys basements and light fixtures.
Adult carpet beetles prefer sunlight and populate gardens or other plant heavy locations.
An adult carpet beetle won t cause your home any harm.
These pests enjoy dining on carpets woolen fabrics dead insects furs hides feathers horns hair silk and bones.
Black and common carpet beetles do not fare as well in higher temperatures and are more prominent in europe the northern united states and canada.
It can take 249 354 days to three years for varied carpet beetles to grow from an egg to an adult.
These cousins of the varied carpet beetle are slightly larger in size at around 0 3 0 5cm and have a more rounded shell their shells are light brown speckled with black and white markings.
Treat spills and stains immediately as well.
Check more about the common uk types of carpet beetles in the uk.
Signs of a carpet beetle infestation carpet beetle infestations tend to go unnoticed for long periods of time allowing them to cause severe damage to bedding clothes carpets and upholstered furniture.
Vacuuming carpeting and washing your clothes and other fabrics frequently at least once every 2 or so weeks is the best way to prevent a carpet beetle infestation.
They are quite common in nests of birds and spiders on dead animals and in insect collections.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said of their larvae.
Verbasci was also the first insect to be shown to have an.
While varied carpet beetles thrive further south any place with warm buildings suits the insect.
They can also sometimes cause an allergic reaction.
Carpet beetles can also thrive on lint hair and debris accumulating under baseboards and inside floor vents and ducts.
Food and sweat stains on fabrics can attract carpet beetles.