Life Cycle Woolly Bear Carpet Beetle

Bit of an odd request.

Life cycle woolly bear carpet beetle. These are mostly brown with white or yellow markings and are covered in short bristly hairs hence their well known woolly bear moniker. Carpet beetle woolly bear problem discussion in general diy started by oasisfan79 9 may 2017. Most carpet beetles develop up to four generations yearly while varied and black carpet beetles develop only one. What causes carpet beetles.

The life cycle of a carpet beetle ranges from two months to several years in length. The larvae known as woolly bears of these small oval beetles have outstripped the clothes moths as the major british textile pest. Carpet beetles are oval shaped and difficult to spot as they are only 2 to 4mm long. They thrive in undisturbed places such as old bird nesting sites and animal remains.

The small hairy larvae of the carpet or fur beetles are known as woolly bears. The related fur beetle is black with one spot on each wing case and there is a rarer black carpet beetle. The hair is organized in a way that it forms a combination of dark and light patches. These small oval beetles have outstripped the clothes moths as the major british textile pest.

The varied carpet beetle anthrenus verbasci is a 3 mm long beetle belonging to the family dermestidae they are a common species often considered a pest of domestic houses and particularly natural history museums where the larvae may damage natural fibers and can damage carpets furniture clothing and insect collections. Larval food sources play a significant role in determining the duration of a carpet beetle s growth cycle. It can take anything between 8 months and three years for a carpet beetle to grow from egg to adult a figure largely dependent on the food supply within its environment. The larvae woolly bears can attack house hold carpets leaving vast bold patches in areas not usually visible without movement of side boards cabinets etc.

The larvae of carpet beetles are referred to as woolly bears. The variegated carpet beetle is 2 to 4mm long like a small mottled brown grey and cream ladybird. As is so often the case it is the larva that does all the damage. Adult carpet beetle predominately live outdoors feeding on nectar and pollen.

It grows up to 5 mm in length. To see that footage click here. The larvae are small about 4mm long covered in brown hairs and tend to roll up when disturbed. They have an elongated body which is covered in hair or large setae.