Furniture Carpet Beetle Larva

The larval stage of the furniture carpet beetle is responsible for causing damage.

Furniture carpet beetle larva. Common in the maryland area are furniture carpet beetles common carpet beetles and varied carpet beetles. The adults are 116 to 18 inch long and oval shaped. Larvae young carpet beetles are 18 to 14 inch long and. The larva of the common carpet beetle anthrenus scrophulariae is difficult to distinguish from that of the furniture carpet beetle.

They eat just about anything. Many homeowners are forced to purchase carpets and clothing made from synthetic material. Carpet beetle larvae infest areas near vents attics basements and other areas that are dark and hidden from view. For example most synthetic carpets have some natural content mixed in during the manufacturing process.

If the carpet beetles are in their larvae stage they will search around in the dark looking for food. Both adult carpet beetles and larvae can infest your home but the larvae do the most damage by eating organic materials like wool leather and silk. The larva is 5 mm long oval and covered with brown hair. Carpet beetle larvae can crawl from place to place but are usually found in concealed locations along baseboards under large pieces of furniture or in little used drawers or storage areas.

It is highly unlikely that you would have the larvae of one species in your closet and the adult of another species so we continued to research. Carpet beetles leave their larvae around your home and in your furniture. This is most certainly a carpet beetle and a carpet beetle larva and it very closely resembles a varied carpet beetle anthrenus verbasci however the larva is too dark to be that species. Common food includes carpet furniture clothes drapery pet or human hair antiques and just about anything which is made of or has natural material in it.

They like to eat the natural fibers of many common items found in homes such as furniture rugs carpets and clothes. What do carpet beetles look like. They range in color from black to speckled with white brown yellow and orange. Adult varied carpet beetles are black with irregular patterns of brown white and darkish yellow scales on their wings.

To know where to focus the brunt of your cleaning first look for the primary source of the infestation which will be the area with the most signs of damage and beetles. Occasionally carpet beetle larvae can even cause a skin irritation from their bristles. Larva are the stage which cause all the damage. Due to their diet of fabric and animal products carpet beetle larvae can thrive in homes if left alone.