Carpet Beetle

Carpet beetles are a dermestid-type beetle. The adult beetle feeds only on pollen and the nectar of garden flowers but lays its eggs in old birds' nests, felt, fabric or accumulated fluff in buildings. The larva cause damage by infesting and eating a range of household articles including carpets, woollen and cotton goods, silks and some man-made fibres. They will also eat fur and feathers and infestations can be associated with the presence of dead animals and birds, and sometimes wasp's nests, which can also be attacked.

In general the adult beetles are 2-3mm long, and have a varied pattern of white, brownish, and yellowish scales/spots on their backs. The mature larva are 4-5mm long and have a series of dense tufts of bristles and hair located on each side of the rear end of the body. These bristles give rise to the common name for the larva: "woolly bears"

Life Cycle

The female beetle lays about 40 eggs, which take just over 2 weeks to hatch. The larva will live and feed for about 7-10 months. The larva then turns into a pupa and an adult beetle emerges after about a month. The adults only live for 2-6 weeks.

Treatment

Carpet beetles can be difficult to treat at home. This is partly due to the fact that the area where damage has been done may not be the extent of the infestation, and partly due to their life cycle, which offers some protection against treatment. If you do decide to treat the infestation yourself, you will need to repeat the action between 2 and 4 times to allow for effective application at all times of the beetle's life cycle.

To treat an infestation, firstly vacuum the area in question thoroughly, then lightly spray with a suitable pesticide, such as permethrin. Infestations can be prevented by investing in a good quality vacuum cleaner.