Black Carpet Beetle Larvae Uk

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.
Black carpet beetle larvae uk. Larvae can survive for several weeks without food. The colour of the body is a mixture of white light and dark brown spots and older specimen might even have grey ish colour. The larval form feeds on natural fibres damaging carpets furniture and clothing. The furniture carpet beetle has 6 legs as well and is often mistaken for its cousin the varied carpet beetle.
Carpet beetle larvae image. Verbasci varies from 1 7mm to 3 5mm. Appearance the size of an adult varied carpet beetle a. The larva is elongated and furry also called woolly bears.
These are mostly brown with white or yellow markings and are covered in short bristly hairs hence their well known woolly bear moniker. They range in color from black to speckled with white brown yellow and orange. They have a slightly rounded shell and are usually black brown in colour with flecks of white on their backs. Varied carpet beetles anthrenus verbasci only a quarter of a centimeter long the varied carpet beetle is the smallest of the three with only 6 legs.
Like most beetles black carpet beetles have wings and they can fly. Check more about the common uk types of carpet beetles in the uk. As is so often the case it is the larva that does all the damage. Colour wise it has a palette similar to the furniture carpet beetle.
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. Although not always a pure black color they are generally dark brown to black and may have lighter patterns on their elytra. Carpet beetles are oval shaped and difficult to spot as they are only 2 to 4mm long. Larvae young carpet beetles are 1 8 to 1 4 inch long and tan or brownish.
Female black carpet beetles can lay up to 100 eggs and their larvae can stay in the larval stage for up to 3 years. Carpet beetles are a relatively little known issue in the uk as pests like cockroaches and rats grab the headlines. They re covered with bristles. The black carpet beetle attagenus unicolor is a 3 5 millimetre long 0 12 0 20 in beetle that can be a serious household pest the larvae grow to 7 mm 0 28 in in length are reddish brown in colour and covered with bristles.