A Carpet Beetle

As the carpet beetle grows its diet changes it starts consuming pollen and nectar from plants.

A carpet beetle.

These beetles may also eat synthetic fabrics if they are soiled with food or oils. Verbasci was also the first insect to be shown to have an. The bristly hairs found on carpet beetle larvae can cause skin irritation. Carpet beetle larvae can leave irregular holes in carpets and fabric and eating through whole chunks of wool silk feathers and leather.

Carpet beetles can also thrive on lint hair and debris accumulating under baseboards and inside floor vents and ducts. 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. The pests can also proliferate on bird nests animal carcasses and dead insects cluster flies lady beetles stink bugs wasps etc which tend to be associated with attics chimneys basements and light fixtures. Where do carpet beetles live.

The carpet beetles never bite or destroy anything it is their young ones you should blame. Carpet beetles congregate wherever animal fibers can be consumed. In general they. Although carpet beetles don t pose any risk to humans beyond a potential allergic reaction the larvae do chew through fabric doing damage that s often mistaken for moths.

Meanwhile when they molt their dead skin can cause allergic reactions and dermatitis in sensitive individuals.