Varied Carpet Beetle Food

Concealed areas e g cuffs collars fabric folds are often preferred.

Varied carpet beetle food.

Once found infested items and susceptible articles nearby should be laundered dry cleaned or discarded. 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. Eliminate accumulations of lint hair dead insects and other debris that serve as food for carpet beetles. Shed molted skins of carpet beetles associated with mice nesting in an attic.

Adult carpet beetles live both outside and inside homes. Outdoors they are found on the blossoms of crape myrtle spiraea queen anne s lace buckwheat daisies wild asters and other. Remove old spider webs and bird rodent bee and wasp nests which can harbor infestations. Plant based materials cereal pet food bird seed etc stored in kitchens and basements or cached by rodents are other possible sources of carpet beetles.

In the varied carpet beetle the head end is narrower than the tail end a characteristic that distinguishes it from black carpet beetle larva. Throw out badly infested items. Carpet beetle larva feeding on a wool sports jacket. Larval food sources play a significant role in determining the duration of a carpet beetle s growth cycle.

Most carpet beetles develop up to four generations yearly while varied and black carpet beetles develop only one. Verbasci was also the first insect to be shown to have an. Carpet beetles don t usually eat cotton linen or other plant based or synthetic fabrics but they may eat fabric blends or fabrics stained with animal products.