Common carpet beetle of the skin beetles family mainly inhabits parts of Europe and the Middle East. The larvae of this species cause immense damage to carpets, alongcol3 fabrics and specimens preserved in the museum, resulting in their name.
Size: 2.5 – 3.8 mm (0.09 – 0.14 inches)
Color: The adult beetles have contrasting colors, with a black head, and thorax. The latter has white scales scattered all over alongcol3 a large midline. The black elytra also have a combination of reddish to orangish scales adjacent to the midline. Otherwise, the scales appear white and remain symmetrically arranged throughout. However, the scales eventually fade away with age, making the older beetles look slightly different in coloration than the younger adults.
Other Characteristic Features: They have an oval body, and the head mostly remains concealed under the prothorax.
The larva appears brown, going through a six-instar stage before maturing into a pupa. In the final stage, these beetles turn reddish-brown, covered with dark hairs all over.
Pupation takes place in the final skin of the larva, and the pupa would occur in the spot where the larva was feeding last, like on carpets or even incol3 the floor’s cracks.
The small-sized eggs appear white, along with projections, helping them to stick to the rough surface of the carpet or other fabric.
| Other Names | Buffalo carpet beetle |
| Lifespan | About six weeks |
| Distribution | Middle East and parts of Europe |
| Habitat | Mostly incol3 homes on the floor, upon carpets; closets; lofts; and even in museums |
| Seasons active from | Not recorded |
| Damage caused on | Carpets, fabrics, museum specimens |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Animal fibers causing damage to fabrics, carpets, and museum specimen Adults: Nectar and pollen |
The larva causes immense damage to the carpets and fabric by making irregular holes in them. They even destroy museum specimens by eating them up.
One of the various measures to control their infestation is vacuuming and dusting carpets well, alongcol3 dry cleaning and washing the clothes.
Image Source: arthropodafotos.de, alchetron.com, lh3.googleusercontent.com, live.staticflickr.com, ukrbin.com
Common carpet beetle of the skin beetles family mainly inhabits parts of Europe and the Middle East. The larvae of this species cause immense damage to carpets, alongcol3 fabrics and specimens preserved in the museum, resulting in their name.
Size: 2.5 – 3.8 mm (0.09 – 0.14 inches)
Color: The adult beetles have contrasting colors, with a black head, and thorax. The latter has white scales scattered all over alongcol3 a large midline. The black elytra also have a combination of reddish to orangish scales adjacent to the midline. Otherwise, the scales appear white and remain symmetrically arranged throughout. However, the scales eventually fade away with age, making the older beetles look slightly different in coloration than the younger adults.
Other Characteristic Features: They have an oval body, and the head mostly remains concealed under the prothorax.
The larva appears brown, going through a six-instar stage before maturing into a pupa. In the final stage, these beetles turn reddish-brown, covered with dark hairs all over.
Pupation takes place in the final skin of the larva, and the pupa would occur in the spot where the larva was feeding last, like on carpets or even incol3 the floor’s cracks.
The small-sized eggs appear white, along with projections, helping them to stick to the rough surface of the carpet or other fabric.
| Other Names | Buffalo carpet beetle |
| Lifespan | About six weeks |
| Distribution | Middle East and parts of Europe |
| Habitat | Mostly incol3 homes on the floor, upon carpets; closets; lofts; and even in museums |
| Seasons active from | Not recorded |
| Damage caused on | Carpets, fabrics, museum specimens |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Animal fibers causing damage to fabrics, carpets, and museum specimen Adults: Nectar and pollen |
The larva causes immense damage to the carpets and fabric by making irregular holes in them. They even destroy museum specimens by eating them up.
One of the various measures to control their infestation is vacuuming and dusting carpets well, alongcol3 dry cleaning and washing the clothes.
Image Source: arthropodafotos.de, alchetron.com, lh3.googleusercontent.com, live.staticflickr.com, ukrbin.com
