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Carpet beetles are pests that are commonly found on carpets.
Some carpet beetles can cause allergic responses or dermatitis in
humans.
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 The
adult Black Carpet Beetle is about 1/8" -1/4" long
and can be dark brown to black. Larvae are up to 1/4" long,
carrot-shapped, tapering towards the rear. Larvae are covered with
dark brown hairs laying flat on the body with a long tuft of brown
hairs nearly as long as the body at the rear end.
Fabrics typically have a great deal of surface damage and holes
here and there, but larvae can cause large irregular holes in material.
Furs have the hairs cut at the base but no damage to the hide.
The female lays about 90 eggs in lint which has accumulated in
dark secluded places such as behind and under baseboards, in cracks
and crevices , in air ducts, etc. Eggs hatch in 5-16 days. Developmental
time (egg to adult) usually takes 177-370 days. Adults live for
30-60 days.
Black carpet beetles feed on both animal and plant materials such
as hair, fur, feathers, hides, horns, carcasses, dead insects, cereal,
stored grain, nuts, seeds, cayenne peppers, various meals, and processed
foods such as flour. Larvae may burrow through packaging materials
to get to the contained food.
The adults can be found outside and active during warm weather. They
can be found on flowers, often eating the pollen, in nests of birds,
rodents, and insects such as wasps, and spiders. Diverse breeding
areas including light fixtures with dead insects, under baseboards
where lint and hair accumulate, and other insect nests which contain
dead insects. The larvae can be found far from the primary infestation. |
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 The
adult Common Carpet Beetle is about 1/16" 1/8"
long with an black oval body with a pattern of white and orange
scales and an orange or brick red stripe down the middle of the
body. Larvae are reddish brown, up to 1/4" long and stout covered
with black or brown hairs with very long hind tufts of hair.
Fabrics typically have extensive surface damage and irregular holes
here and there. In carpets tacked to the floor, they often eat slits
following the floor cracks. Furs and brushes have mostly the tips
of hairs damaged, leaving uneven areas. Frass (droppings) are minute,
irregular in form, and often the color of the material being eaten.
Females lay 30-60 whitish eggs on or in larval food material, typically
during May and June. Developmental time from egg to adult usually
requires 77-110 days at room temperature. Upon emerging, the adult
beetle stays quiet for about 18 days, and then becomes an active
adult for about 4-31 days. In heated structures, adults may be active
throughout the winter and the following spring.
Common carpet beetle larvae feed on a wide variety of animal and
plant materials such as woolens, hair, bristles, horn, feathers,
silk, furs, rye flour, and wheat. Their favored foods are carpets,
clothing, and textiles.
Adults are typically found outdoors in May through June feeding
on pollen and nectar from flowers such as buckwheat, daisies, and
wild asters. Females may fly inside to lay eggs or use nests where
dead insects can accumulate. Inside breeding areas include areas
where other insects such as cluster flies, yellow jackets, etc,
have lived or behind baseboards where lint, hair, and dead insects
accumulate.
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Treatment & Control
The key to controlling carpet beetles is to find and eliminate the
source(s) of infestation. Besides checking carpeting, clothing,
textiles, furs, and plant materials, it may be necessary to check
for the more unusual places such as bird, rodent, and insect nests.
Past occurances of flies, in the winter, ladybird beetles, rodent
problems, and birds nesting in the building may help pinpoint to
potential sources.
A thorough inspection should be followed by good sanitation practices,
and pesticide
application when required.
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(860) 582-9242 Fax: (860) 582-8487