Entomology Carpet Beetles

Carpet beetles as their name implies sometimes infest carpets.

Entomology carpet beetles.

Larvae can damage textiles even synthetic materials. The varied carpet beetle s life cycle is 249 to 354 days. Similar to clothes moths the pests also feed on many other items composed of wool fur felt silk feathers skins and leather. These small dark colored beetles are an invasive pest in many homes.

Shetlar department of entomology carpet beetles feed on animal and plant substances such as wool fur feathers hair hides horns silk velvet felts and bone as well as seeds grain cereals cake mixes red pepper rye meal and flour. The adult beetle is dull black in color is elliptical in outline about 1 4 inch long and the antennae and legs are brown. The beetles in the anthrenus genus are called carpet and museum beetles. The common name of the beetle species attagenus unicolor is black carpet beetle.

Larvae are carrot shaped hairy or bristly brownish and about 1 4 inch long. Their larvae can chew through fabric damaging clothing furniture coverings and carpets. Outdoors adult female beetles will search for spider webs and bee wasp and bird nests that contain eggs. There are nearly 200 species of carpet beetles in the subfamily attageninae.

Adult carpet beetles feed on flower pollen and do not damage wool ens and other fabrics. Key characteristics for adults are round oval shaped bodies covered in scales or setae. Varied carpet beetles are found in carpets woolen goods furs stuffed animals dried plant products silks and other materials containing animal products and natural fibers. Carpet beetles are about 1 8 inch in length and have elytra covered scales.

They can range in size from 1 to 12 mm. The usually clubbed antennae fit into deep grooves. Carpet beetle adults are small mottled brown to solid black oval shaped beetles about 1 8 inch long. Such materials contain keratin a fibrous animal protein which the larvae are able to digest.

Adults often are found on window ledges indoors or outdoors on flowers in the early spring. There are several kinds of carpet beetles that attack woolens. Other common names include larder beetle hide or leather beetles carpet beetles and khapra beetles. Females can lay 100 eggs which hatch in 1 2 weeks into pale colored larvae with spear shaped setae.

The larvae molt several times and may stay in this stage for two months to a year. We provide free insect identification services for electronic submissions for residents of massachusetts.