Carpet Beetles

Latin Name: Anthrenus verbasci

Months of Activity: January - December

Active throughout the year, carpet beetles, or rather their larvae, are insatiable feeders consuming any amount of carpet, furniture and clothing throughout their adolescence. Found in homes across the UK, the carpet beetle prefers warm environments with plenty of sources of food, such as loft spaces and bedrooms.

It can take anything between 8 months and three years for a carpet beetle to grow from egg to adult – a figure largely dependent on the food supply within its environment.

Appearance

• Carpet beetle larvae are hairy and brown, normally reaching a length of 4-5mm.
• An adult carpet beetle measures 1.5mm-4mm and is characterised by the pattern of yellow, black and whitish scales on the body.

Lifecycle

Eggs can hatch anytime between 10 to 35 days depending on the temperature, with the larvae often remaining in adolescence for over a year. Adult carpet beetles appear in April, May and June and their resulting larvae hibernate during the following winter pupating during the latter part of February and March.

On emergence the adult beetles feed on nectar and pollen. After mating, the female carpet beetles enter houses during late summer and autumn and lay their eggs in birds' nests in roof voids and other suitable places.

Pest Control

Infestations of these insects mostly originate in birds' nests such as those of house sparrow, house martin, swift and starling. The carpet beetle larvae subsist on the soiled wool and feathers in the nest-lining and then manage to get under the eaves in the roof space. From here they crawl into the upper rooms of the house, usually following the hot water pipe system.

The fully grown larvae of carpet beetles appear to be resistant to modern contact insecticides because they are able to crawl about long after they have come into contact with a lethal dose of insecticide. Perseverance and patience must be exercised in dealing with this pest as immediate results will seldom be achieved.

Latest News about Carpet Beetles

Preventing Carpet Beetles
Only in the house do carpet beetles become pests. In the "real world" they are valuable "recyclers" that feed on the dried remains of dead animals (a thankless but important task). Carpet beetles are everywhere and their scavenger existence keeps th... [more]

The Use Of Borax
Carpet beetles, aka woolly bears, are dreadful pests and you don't need a carpet to get them. Equally at home in wooden floors as they are in rugs, carpet beetles can plague households and can be very difficult to get rid of. If you are diagnosed as... [more]

Carpet Beetle Control
Carpet Beetles are one of the major pests of textiles. The adult beetle lives outdoors and feeds on pollen, it is the larval stage that feeds on natural textile fibres. They will feed on, and damage, woollen fabrics, carpets and clothes, even wool / ... [more]

Pesky Pantry Pests
Several pests can invade your kitchen to feast on a variety of food products such as nuts, dried vegetables and fruits, flour, pastas, cereal and pet food. Grain and flour beetles are brown or reddish-brown, depending on the species. The larvae of t... [more]

Pantry Pest Outbreak
Pantry pests can be found in nearly every home in the UK at some time or other. For the most part they are no more than an occasional inconvenience. Pantry pests enter the home through a variety of ways: Food can be infested while at the farm or ... [more]

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