Anthrenus verbasci is a 3 mm–long beetle which is also known as a carpet bug. These beetles can be serious household pests. They feed on all kinds of natural fibers, including clothing. They most often infest carpets, though, hence their name.
The larvae of carpet bugs is approximately 4-5 millimeters in length and is covered with alternating light and dark brown stripes. It has 3 small pairs of tufts of hair on its rear abdomen which it can use for self-defense.
Adult carpet bugs can be anywhere between 1.7 to 3.5 mm in length. They have two colors, white and yellowish-brown. They have antennae which have 3 segments.
A carpet beetle’s life cycle is about 3 years. They hatch in the early springtime or early summer. They are often hatched in birds nests, especially those of the House Sparrow or House Swift. Their nests can also be found in stored fabrics. The larvae of carpet bugs feed on natural fibers. They will go into a dormant phase just prior pupation which is dependent on environmental factors. Adult carpet bugs emerge from late May to early August. They fly and feed upon the pollen of flowering plants. They mate during this time and lay eggs.
Carpet bugs have only one natural predator which is a wasp which gives it a paralyzing sting. The carpet bug will attempt to brush the wasp off with the long hairs on its abdomen usually to no avail. During the time in which the carpet bug is paralyzed, the wasp will lay eggs inside its abdomen which hatch in about 3-4 days and then feed on the carpet bug for another 3-7 days which eventually kills it. After the beetle has been killed, the wasp larvae spin a cocoon near their host’s empty shell where they will stay until they finally emerge as an adult wasp.
Carpet bugs usually remain undetected inside a home for quite some time. They feed on natural fibers in carpets, clothing blankets and furs. You can prevent an infestation of carpet bugs by vacuuming regularly, airing clothing outside on a regular basis and ensuring that birds nests are removed from the immediate vicinity of your home. Placing mothballs in closets will also discourage these beetles from infesting your clothing.
Infestation can be recognized by an abundance of damaged clothing, many dried up larval skins in dark areas of your home and the presence of many adult beetles near the windows of your home. You can eradicate an infestation of carpet bugs by using scent traps, insecticides, oxygen deprivation and freezing.
