Woolly Bear Carpet Beetle Larvae

A possible source of the carpet beetle larvae infestation.

Woolly bear carpet beetle larvae.

Best carpet beetle control products. Verbasci was also the first insect to be shown to have an. Carpet beetle larvae are hairy and brown normally reaching a length of 4 5mm. That is also a common name for the caterpillar of the garden tiger moth arctia caja.

Another insect given the name woolly bear is the larvae of the carpet beetle anthrenus verbasci. They thrive in undisturbed places such as old bird nesting sites and animal remains. The related fur beetle is black with one spot on each wing case and there is a rarer black carpet beetle. We again have found some carpet beetle larvae in the cupboard under the stairs.

In addition to general housekeeping there are a range of insecticidal products available that you can purchase to get rid of carpet beetles for good. Tamashii wed 15 sep 10 12 08 37. On looking inside woolly bear cases were found all in the insulation and there were two old wasp nests in there. An adult carpet beetle measures 1 5mm 4mm and is characterised by the pattern of yellow black and whitish.

Moths in this family include the tiger moths and ermine moths. Adult carpet beetle predominately live outdoors feeding on nectar and pollen. The larvae of carpet beetles are small only growing to about 7mm at most. There are insecticidal sprays and powders and also fumers or carpet beetle smoke bombs to reach the more inaccessible places.

The larvae known as woolly bears of these small oval beetles have outstripped the clothes moths as the major british textile pest. In the uk carpet beetles and clothes moths are the biggest threat to our textiles. A wasp nest is made of wood pulp and therefore a natural fibre and food source for woolly bears. They re fairly inconspicuous and if you do find one they look a little like a hairy maggot.

I had noticed a couple of beetles a few months back and got rid but they must have laid some eggs in there and now we have. These pest species are not too dissimilar in their devastation of natural fibres and can cause hundreds of pounds worth of damage without any notification. 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 variegated carpet beetle is 2 to 4mm long like a small mottled brown grey and cream ladybird.

Adult beetles eat pollen and nectar but the larvae can cause damage to woollens. Confusingly the carpet beetle larvae are called woolly bears. To see that footage click here.