Enviroguard Pest Guides


Carpet Beetles


Varied Carpet Beetle

(Anthrenus verbasci)

Appearance
• 3 mm long, ladybird shape.
• Patterns vary, often a mixture of black, brown, grey, cream, white and yellow.
• Larvae (known as 'woolly bears') 4-5 mm long with tufts of brown hairs, resembling a small hairy caterpillar.  

Carpet Beetle 
 Lifestyle
• Woolly bears roll up when disturbed.
• Adults feed outdoors on nectar and pollen.
• Lays its eggs in old birds' nests, or on fabric or accumulated fluff in buildings. It is the woolly bears that emerge from these eggs that do the damage, feeding on feathers, fur, hair, or wool.
• Carpet beetle damage consists of fairly well-defined round holes along the seams of fabric.

Overview
Carpet beetles can be a big problem. The woolly bears of these small, oval beetles have outstripped clothes moths as the major British textile pest, causing considerable damage to natural fibres such as wool, fur, leather and silk. Adults are often seen in April, May and June, seeking egg-laying sites; the grubs are most active in October before they hibernate. Although of limited significance as a health hazard, the hairs of woolly bears have been known to cause skin irritation in some people.

 

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