- Carpet beetles are small and oval shaped
- The carpet beetle is now considered more of a nuisance in the UK to textiles and fabrics than the clothes moth
- The larvae of the carpet beetle are known as ‘woolly bears’
- When the larvae are disturbed, they roll up
- As it grows, the larvae moults
- Adults appear in April to June looking for egg-laying sites
- Grubs are more active in October as they prepare to hibernate
- The adult carpet beetle feeds on pollen and nectar
- They lay their eggs in old bird nests, felts, fabrics and fluff
- It is the emerging larvae from these eggs that leave the tell-tale signs of damage
- Larvae feed on feathers, fur, hair and wool – in other words, anything with a high enough level of natural fibres
- The life cycle takes a year
- The grubs can survive for several months with limited food
- The damage is easy to spot – the larvae leave well-defined round holes along seams of fabrics and materials
DIAGNOSIS
Nuisance scale: 8/10 HIGH
Leaves irreparable damage in some cases, with carpets and clothing needing to be replaced
Hazard: 1/10 MILD
Do not spread disease or cause illness
VITAL STATISTICS
Length: 2 to 4mm
Description: Small and mottled brown in colour with flecks of grey and cream. The related Fur beetle is black with one spot on each wing.
INTERESTING FACTS
- The female carpet beetle can lay 40 to 90 eggs
- These eggs take 16 days to hatch
- The larvae avoid light
- The larvae stage can last from 60 days to a whole year!