Varied Carpet Beetle Larvae

Carpet beetle larvae are able to mature under a variety of humidity levels and temperatures although they tend to avoid bright areas.

Varied carpet beetle larvae.

They are quite common in nests of birds and spiders on dead animals and in insect collections. They range in color from black to speckled with white brown yellow and orange. Larvae young carpet beetles are 1 8 to 1 4 inch long and tan or brownish. Verbasci was also the first insect to be shown to have an annual behavioral rhythm and to date remains a classic example of circannual cycles in animals.

They re covered with bristles and. Varied carpet beetles are found in homes in attics oriental carpets tapestries and wood based wall to wall carpeting. Full sized larvae can be as long as 5 16 inch and range from light brown to almost black. They are shiny black and dark brown with brownish legs.

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. Depending on food sources and climate larvae may take over a year to develop into adults. Threats varied carpet beetles feed on dead insects but also feed on upholstery and carpet so they can damage those materials.

Identification adult varied carpet beetles are small 3 5 millimeters or about an eighth of an inch rounded beetles with dark colored or patterned wing covers depending on the species. Adults and larvae of the black carpet beetle attagenus unicolor are distinctly different from the carpet beetles described above. Adult carpet beetles feed on pollen but larvae will eat a wide variety of organic items in the home. Adult black carpet beetles range from 1 8 to 3 16 inch long.

Both adult carpet beetles and larvae can infest your home but the larvae do the most damage by eating organic materials like wool leather and silk. Larvae are similarly sized and have a tapered body. 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. The varied carpet beetle is a 3 mm long beetle belonging to the family dermestidae.

To know where to focus the brunt of your cleaning first look for the primary source of the infestation which will be the area with the most signs of damage and beetles. Pupation for the beetles lasts around one to two weeks and then adults live for an average of two months. Common carpet beetle larvae take between two and three months to reach pupation varied carpet beetle larvae may need up to two years and black carpet beetle larvae develop in the larval stage for six months to just under a year.