Carpet Beetle

The carpet beetle, Anthrenus verbasci, is a 3mm-long beetle belonging to the family Dermestidae. This beetle can be a serious household pest and a pest in natural history museums, where it can damage biological specimens. While adults are pollen grazers, larvae feed on natural fibres and can damage carpets, furniture, clothing and insect collections. The larva of this insect is what does the most damage. They are known as ‘woolly bears’ due to their banded appearance and are covered in short bristles (4mm-5mm long, are squat, brown in colour). The adults are 2mm-3mm long and the body is of a variegated pattern with a dense covering of scales. The larvae will feed on substances that contain keratin, most commonly they are found within natural wool/wool mix carpets along the edges and in the corners. It is common to only find an infestation when an item of furniture is moved and a patch in the carpet is found.