Carpet Beetle Larva
There are no uninteresting insects, only insects that are insufficiently magnified
S_ found this little larva while cleaning out a cupboard. It was in the back of the shelf, happily chowing down on a dead ant.
So far, it just looks like your typical little thing with lots of legs. Let’s zoom in a bit:
Ah, that’s better. Now we can see that it doesn’t actually have lots of legs, what it does have is a lot of bristles that stick almost straight out, or maybe angled a bit towards the head. There are also two tufts of bristles on the tail.
On the underside, we can see the actual legs, which aren’t really a lot longer than the bristles. It also has bristles on the bottom of the abdomen that give it an amusing, needs-a-shave sort of look. Note that, unlike butterfly and moth caterpillars, it does not have prolegs on the abdomen (beetle larvae do not have prolegs, only the six true legs). We can see the legs a bit better in the next picture, where it is trying to flip itself over:
At first, I thought that this was a larva of a larder beetle, like this one I posted a few months ago. But, looking at it more closely (particularly the tufts of bristles on the abdomen), I think its actually a carpet beetle, probably genus Anthrenus . I’ve been finding these Buffalo Carpet Beetles around the house, and so there is a good chance that this larva would have grown up to be one of them. Larder beetles and carpet beetles are all types of dermestid beetles, but while the larder beetle is more into stored foodstuffs, the carpet beetles are rather keen on animal proteins that are normally considered indigestible (hair, wool, feathers, skin, exoskeletons of other insects, that sort of thing).
Carpet beetles are evidently one of those species from arid or semi-arid regions that have moved into the house environment. They are adapted to a lack of water, and so can manage in spite of the dryness of the average house. Their original environment was apparently bird and mammal nests, where they ate the bits of debris that the inhabitants shed (and, in cases where the inhabitants died, ate what was left of their mummified corpses after the flies and carrion beetles were done with them. Once the dermestid beetles finish, they leave nothing behind but the polished bones of the animals’ dry, articulated skeletons)[1]. Basically, these beetles are still living in mammal nests, it’s just that these nests are now our houses instead of a hole in the ground with, say, a badger living in it.
As I mentioned in the larder beetle entry, the diet of dermestid beetles makes them real murder on things like insect collections, taxidermy, wool products, natural-fiber carpets, and museum specimens. They are also likely to be around regardless of how clean you keep your house. Even if the carpets are synthetic fibers, there are always bits of dead skin and hair, miscellaneous organic dirt, and the remains of insects that got in, couldn’t hack the indoors environment, and died. They’re in overlooked corners, under beds, in carpets, you name it. I even found one crawling across the ceiling in a very new house downstate which has only two people living in it and no pets, and is kept scrupulously clean. Seek and ye shall find, and all that. They are there, somewhere. Count on it.
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[1] A while back, we were doing some work on the walls in the house, and found a perfect mouse skeleton. Not a trace of hair, flesh, or skin, just a complete and undamaged skeleton still posed in its original owner’s final death throes. The dermestid beetles had obviously been at it.
Melissa,
How do stay on top of the larva that remain? Do you continue vacuuming with the crevice tool and if so, how often? Sigh. Every time I think I get a leg up on these critters, I find something else. I just found what I think is a larva in my bedroom. It was small and seemed to be about the right color, but the tufts were not evident. Are they obviously hairy when viewed with the naked eye?
Thank you very much!
Sam
Hi Sam,
For me, I spent nearly 2 months straight vacuuming and cleaning and washing every piece of clothing in my house. I stored them in plastic containers and sealed the lids down with tape. It was a nightmare I wish I could forget but probably will not ever forget. Just so you know, after I delivered my baby (this all happened the months before I was expecting another baby) I did not see any more larva for months. So I thought all my hard work had paid off. Then March of this year came and I was hit again with live beetles in my house. I was so disappointed needless to say. But I have only seen a few larva here and there. And since we are more aware of what is going on, I think we will get a handle on them eventually. I am sure without a doubt that I will not have the same level of infestation that I had last year. But truth be told, I have not been able to keep up the same cleaning that I did prior to my delivery. Yet I still have not seen many larva. So that is good.
All I can say to you is do the best you can to look everywhere for the source and just vacuum and dust the best you can. I would do it everyday at least for a few weeks. I did not use any chemicals in my house either. I am sure most people on this websight will agree that I tend to be a bit fanatical with these bugs.
Right now I am worried about ants. I have seen a few stragglers and I remember last year about this time I had a major ant attack. I will be calling the exterminator for that one so they can spray outside of our house.
Oh and I am pretty sure that creature you found in your room is most likely a larva… especially if it was the same color. When I first determined I had these in my house, my hubby and I disagreed. I told him carpet beetles is what we had and he said the pictures on the web did not resemble the ones in our house. It was hard to see the hairs on the ones we had with the naked eye. I believe it depends on the variety you have as to how much hair they have. Mine were not all that hairy.
And I know you are probably not saying this right now, but it will get better. And from what you describe, it doesnt sound like you had a major infestation. I had about 20 larvae in each room/ closet of my house. I can not believe I never noticed them! They must have spread quickly.
Best wishes to you and your efforts to rid your abode of these critters!
Melissa,
Don’t pay an exterminator for ants. Get TERRO, it works so well and you can put it outside your house as well.
Melissa,
Thank you so much for your help. I discovered this problem in March and have been cleaning ever since. I have decluttered an amazing amount of junk, tossed a couch, chair, ottoman, and all of my living room curtains. Professionally cleaned rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture… I even decided to have my air ducts cleaned this week & had someone walk the roof to find any bees/wasps/birds nests. I also used an exterminator on the inside of the house – not great, I know, but I felt I needed it. I have been through just about every nook and cranny (Working on the remaining ones) and the thought of finding more emerging next Spring makes me want to cry. I had about 60 emerge this Spring. I have found some live larva in the things I tossed. No idea if I got all of the hot spots or not – there seemed to be several spread between the first and second levels of the house.
It doesn’t seem like you’ve had that many emerge relative to the amount you had last year. That is a huge improvement! And without any chemicals to boot – good for you. That must have been A LOT of hard work. I think I just need to do everything I can to take care of it, and then let it go, to a certain extent. I will live differently for sure – I have vacuumed more in the past few months than in my entire life, I think! I’ll be careful with my woolens and I will live more as a minimalist. These are not all bad things. It’s just… Ahhhh… Well, you know what I mean. I’d like to reclaim my life and sanity. Maybe it’s just a conscious choice I need to make.
If you think of any more good tips, let me know!
Thanks again.
Sam
Hi Everyone,
I hope you are all winning the battle with these carpet beetles. I have seen a few small larvae in my house during the past month, but really it doesn’t seem like they are “taking over” my house like when I first discovered them last year. But I still can not stand them!
So I have 4 girls all under the age of 6 and most of my friends who have girls like to give me hand me down clothes. I love that, as it has saved us a ton of money. But I have found that people have carpet beetles in their homes and they probably do not know it. Sometimes I get clothes that already have small holes in them that resemble carpet beetle holes. I always bring the bags in right away and wash in hot water before I even let my girls try the clothes on. Well this morning I was putting some clothes I had gotten from a friend in the washer and I opened up a shirt and 2 very large carpet beetle larvae were in there. I have never even in my house had them that size! I know they were carpet beetle larvae as I am quite the expert now. I smashed them right away and put all the clothes right in the washer. I think I will wash them twice. That is probably how I got 2 types of beetles in my house. Before I knew I had carpet beetles in my house, I wouldnt wash them right away. I would leave them in my wash room and they might sit there for a couple days before I got to it. I am now wiser than that. I actually should be taking the clothes outside and shaking them out before I ever bring them into my house. Live and learn.
Anyway I hope you are all doing good and Brava4, I have taken your advice and it seems to be getting rid of the ants before they come into our house. I had used it before, but I hated it because it was so messy. But now they come in little plastic containers already. It is great.
How are things going in your house Sam?
I love this website. Where else can you truly commiserate with others also battling these ridiculous bugs? Thank you, Melissa, for asking how things are going. I have seen very little (2 adults) since about one week after tossing the infested curtains. However, I am not sure if that’s because we finally got “the source” or if that’s because they are not as evident because the adults have emerged and now there’s just larva crawling around.
We are currently in the process of temporarily moving out of our house to do some work on it. I have used this opportunity to go through every nook and cranny, box, forgotten shelf… You get the point! I have found a small number of shed skins in some long-forgotten places, but no larva yet. When the contractors take up the carpet and baseboards, I plan to be there with vacuum in hand:) No idea what I’ll find, but I am getting to the point where I have done all that I can. From all of this mess, I will live differently – keep less clutter, vacuum more carefully, and be more vigilante. Then I have to move on and stop worrying about it. Hmmm… I wonder if I can do that.
So funny to hear about finding beetles in your second-hand clothes. They really are common, aren’t they? Maybe “funny” isn’t the appropriate word, I’m sure you feel the irony too. These crazy bugs – I really wonder if we can ever truly be rid of them, or if there will always be a few crawling around trying to increase their numbers.
Good luck to all of you! Melissa – please stay in touch. Would love to hear us both say next Spring that we haven’t seen a thing emerge. Ahhhhh… Wouldn’t that be nice?
Enjoy your summer.
Sam
Just came upon this website and to tell you the truth I’m praying that what I have are carpet beetles and not bed bugs. I have a live specimen, though, so I’m fairly sure what I have. The Terminix guy is coming out today. Did you all have “bites” especially around the armpits? I’m hearing that the larvae “hairs” can cause “bites” or something similar. Thanks for all the postings.
Steve
I’d just like to mention that, while I’ve never had any direct dealings with Terminix, I’ve heard bad things about the general level of expertise of their employees. They are reputed to tell people whatever is most likely to scare them into paying for their services, not necessarily what is actually true. If possible, I’d suggest getting a second opinion about what you have. Your state’s equivalent of the Cooperative Extension Service would probably be a good place to check.
Thanks Tim. I think the guy came in expecting to see bed bugs but he could find absolutely no evidence of them. On the other hand, we found lots of shed CB larvae skin and he finally came to the conclusion that we have carpet beetles. I’ll be keeping a close watch, but right now I’m pretty confident we don’t have bb.
Thanks
Steve
For about three months my room has been a mess(of clothes in particular) and my mom has finally convinced me to clean it (yes I am young, but I am interested in science and love bugs… most of them). While I was cleaning the large piles of clothes, I came across my old nemesis, the only insect that has ever made me squeamish, the carpet beetle. The thing is, mine don’t have the same body shape. They are a lot more streamlined, the stripes are very clearly defined (and straight) and their bristles are half as long. I’m thinking these ones either practice good hygiene and exercise, or they are a more uncommon type of carpet beetle. They honestly are less big-exoskeletoned than EVERY picture of carpet beetles I’ve seen. Anyway, now that my room is half cleaned, I’ve noticed that the infestation is mainly under my bed. For a while, I was scared that they had infested my mattress or something; until I noticed that I have a metal bed frame and I change my sheets often (usually twice a week). I’ve noticed that these archenemies of mine have been leaving their skins everywhere, so I WILL have my room cleaned and vaccuumed vigorously. To kill as many as possible. Luckily, they don’t seem to have reached the point where they climb up walls. I’ll tell you how bad they are after cleaning.
Wow! I’m amazed at how few I’ve seen! I’ve only seen 2 alive and maybe 10 dead ones in all of my room while I was cleaning… apparently they haven’t even been here long enough to pupate. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, we have hardwood flooring and no carpets and my mom uses natural cleaners. I tore up my whole room looking for them and I was dissappointed at how few of them I got to kill.
My car is infested with these bugs. I borrowed my moms van while they were away for vacation and my car sat in the carport for 2 weeks,with some old mcdonalds bag on the floor ontop of my daughters tee shirts; The drink cup disintigrated with soda, making the floor on the carpet wet. when i cleaned the car i didnt notice them until we got home last nite and the girls were screaming that they were all over the place. I sprayed the car last nite, and was going to vaccum this morning. I didnt bring the clothes into the house yet. can they hitch a ride on peoples clothes into the house? What about good ole fashion bleach? can i dilute and add some dish soap and scrub the car floor?
/gaylen
Gaylen: While I expect they can ride into the house with you, they also live in the wild and can get in through doors and open windows, so the ones frm the car are no more of an infestation hazard than the ones already living in your yard. As for clearing them out of the car, the best approach is exactly what you have been doing: clean thoroughly to deprive them of food. And, if the bleach or soapy water come in direct contact with the larvae, it should kill them.
I’m feeling slight relief coupled with utter disgust! I have tiny, multi-legged roommates…carpet beetles (thankfully, not bed bugs)! I had my nephew stay with me this past weekend. Today, I found two animal crackers sitting on the floor near the headboard of my bed. As I attempted to pick them up, I noticed they had a few “blackish spots”…and the spots were moving! Immediately, I ripped apart my bedroom. Convinced I was dealing with bed bugs, the bed was my first focus. I found five larvae in the side crevices of my mattress. I have two dogs and cat, none of whom participate in synchronized shedding (and chronic cleaning doesn’t solve the fur problem). I’m fearful this is merely a recent discovery, not a recent problem (however, I’ve not observed any evidence prior to today).
Is it normal to feel like my bed is infested? Is my bed infested?! Why, oh why, did they pick my bed?! Will I ever be able to sleep on it again?
All bedding has been washed. The room, mattress, and boxspring have been vacuumed. What steps can one take to clean mattresses/boxsprings (I’m fearful these suckers are living in my boxspring)? Do I need to clean/seal all clothing stored in this bedroom (contained in closets and dressers)? I have curtains that cannot be washed on hot. Does dry cleaning eradicate the larvae/eggs? Should I expect to find these beetles elsewhere in my house (I’m prepared to hunt if necessary and I’m grateful I don’t have any carpet)?
Thank you to all contributors! I feel much more at ease after reading your experiences.
Okay I hadn’t seen any in a few months and found a larvae about one month ago. I kept it in an airtight bag and it lived for four weeks!!!!!
I am also not entirely convinced that washing in super hot water and using the dryer on high temp for an hour kills them I have one shirt that keeps gettin holes in it, even though I have it seperated, kept in an airtight bag and wash it/dry it on high heat…any explanations?? If they come back in force I don’t know what I will do!!!
Okay, I hope this message gives some of you hope! However, I have to mention that the variety of beetle I have seems to be different that what most of you have (it’s the Furniture Carpet Beetle) and maybe it’s just less agressive in it’s feeding and procreating habits.
Three years ago I began noticing a small beetle in my home, along with some small, flat, canoe-shaped sacs lying on the floor. The beetles were round and cute, but smaller than ladybugs, so I thought they were harmless. I thought the flat things were dried up pieces of paper. My cat has a paper chewing fetish, so there are often little pieces of paper lying about. Since there were no more than 6-8 beetles on any given day, I wasn’t too worried when they kept showing up for 2 years. During the 3rd year I began to worry a little. I hoped they weren’t damaging my home somehow. On 2/23/10 I finally began looking them up online. I found BugGuide.net and a number of University Extension websites posted by their entomology (study of insects) departments. On 2/25/10 I discovered Tim’s website. I became concerned that I might have to live with the bugs permanently but I held out hope that perhaps my infestation was not as bad as what others have posted.
I checked my clothes. Thankfully, most of my clothes are synthetic, synthetic blends, or cotton. Only the wool clothes were affected. In spite of 3 years of infestation, there were only 3 to 6 tiny holes on each of about 8 woolen garments in a tightly packed off-season clothes closet. None of the cotton garments sandwiched next to them were affected. My carpet is synthetic and contained no beetles or larvae. I upended my sofa and thoroughly inspected every part of it. No beetles. Again, it is synthetic. My cotton curtains from India, that are dyed with organic dyes, were not affected. There was one small wool blanket and a wool sweater – both hand woven in the UK and purchased decades ago – that had large holes in them. Only the clothes in one closet were affected. Two other rooms in the home had no infestations at all. One room had the primary infestation and by year 3 the bugs had just started to spread to a second room. Usually the beetles were sighted for 9 months each year. For 3 months in the winter they were not seen.
I threw out the wool items, found 2 beetles in my pantry and threw out the infested products. I now put all of my grain and flower products and dried beans and peas in the refridgerator and freezer. I did not use any pesticides. I did not throw out any items that were in the uninfested rooms (but I did bag up the wool items). I do not have the physical strength to do thorough cleanings of my entire house so I relied on research. Actually, I did very little extra cleaning – mostly in the pantry. After several months I took a picture of one of the flat, canoe-shaped objects next to a carpet beetle and posted it on BugGuide.net, thinking I finally had a photo of the pupae or pupal sac for everyone to see. Instead I learned that the canoe-shaped object was a moth case (Similar to a cocoon but a caterpillar-like phase of the moth actually crawls around in the thing for a while. Only the head will stick out as it drags the case along behind it. It retreats into the case like a portable motor home when it’s not moving). This explains why I kept seeing beetles after I had eliminated their food sources. The beetles were smaller, but still present in my home because they were eating the dead (or living?) caterpillar versions of the moths that were eating my wool blanket and sweater. This is why I kept finding shed beetle larvae skins attached to the canoes. When the moth cases stopped appearing, so did the beetles. This moth and its cases are very tiny – not much bigger than the carpet beetles. The cases can also be found attached to walls on one end, dangling close to the wall like an earing. I now see them outside many homes all over my area. I’ve seen hundreds of these moths on the plants outside my homes over the years. It’s possible the scent of their dead pupal carcasses are what attracted the beetles into my home in the first place. Their are the occassional spiders and other insects in my home, but the beetles did not seem to be eating them. If they had been less picky about their food, I think they would have found more food in my torchier lamps which always have something little fly or other dying in them. Instead, the beetles died in the lamps as well.
Since I would normally still be seeing the beetles all summer long, it seems that they are gone. That said, I’ve seen them on the flowers in my garden so I know the occasional beetle could still wander into my home. But at least I now understand them and what they are looking for. Here’s to all of you who have had much worse infestations, and have put much more work into ridding your home of the problem. Keep learning, experimenting and doing your detective work. There is hope that you might get rid of them.
May 6, 2010 was the last sighting of a Furniture Carpet Beetle in my home. I have found two old and musty-looking moth casings since then, but no beetles.
Sorry, I had to leave for a while and could not finish or proofread my last post. The real test of my home being beetle-free will be next Spring. If I can get through the first 3 months of the year without any beetles, they are probably not coming back. I know they weren’t in my home for the first 10 years I lived here. I would have noticed them and I would have seen the dead ones when I cleaned my torchier lamps.
Another thing I’ve changed is to stop bringing fresh flowers into my home, either from my garden or from a florist. The mature beetles use the sweet flower nectar to give them just enough energy to mate and produce the next generation.
Thanks Della….for HOPE! I have just found another larvae and both appeared near my oven..therefore I may try and do the investigative work too. ..I have vacuumed everywhere , behind the refrigerator,oven etc…all dries food in airtight containers …so am at a loss as to where the source is. I have had the apartment sprayed with insecticide also as a last resort…didn’t seem to do anything.
Can I ask you, do you put your clothes in airtight containers or have do you leave them in your closet? I really want to return to normality and quit living out of airtight containers.
I have heard also that 99% of homes have these beetles so I am just wondering then why no-one else seems to notice them. I’m trying to believe that they are in every home so that I can vacate in peace and not stress about contaminating other peoples homes.
Thanks again