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.
It feels like I’m so alone in my war with these things and then I discovered the comments in this blog and realised I’m not the only one freaking out about the pesky critters. What frustrates me the most is that I get my house spotless and then a moment later a larva or adult will just appear out of thin air. It truly makes me feel like a failure as my methods obviously weren’t good enough. I discovered them about 5 or 6 years ago in the kitchen but there was a source for that infestation and they dissapeared after we eliminated the source which was cereal behind the fridge. Now they’re back in abundance but there is no obvious source and its driving me nuts. I always see them. I’m always thinking of them. Everytime I see q black speck…it is mostly always them. No matter how hard I try to forget about them they always haunt me. I guess I’m severely anxious because not only have I had problems with CB but also biscuit beetles, moths, rats, flies and other annoying critters because I live in poorly ventilated and insulated apartment which the landlords do nothing about therefore I end up paying huge sums for pest treatment. I feel like my life is all about pests and I can’t escape.
Well it was inevitable and I always knew it, here I am back again. And the timing is perfect because it’s just as I was getting close to having a life. Just about fooling myself thinking I was in the clear. Just about feeling comfortable accepting rides from people and not feeling guilty that sitting in their car would probably spread this nuisance on to them and ruin their lives. Just about to get out and make some new friends. So of course I come home two nights ago to find a beetle crawling around on the carpet. And of course it would be a mere foot from the area I have worked my hardest to keep my brand new things confined to to keep them as beetle-free as possible. It hasn’t been easy living like this but it’s the only way I could keep myself semi-sane when going out to have a good time. Everything is brand new and kept in bags. Finding anything is a ridiculous process but worth it if it allows me the freedom to ride in someone’s car without worrying that the clothes I’m wearing will transmit the beetles to them. I tried to let myself live in the denial mom likes to live in. Her logic of “just ignore them and hope they’ll go away” doesn’t work as I’ve not gone a day without looking at every piece of lint. I have toenail fungus that has wrecked two of my nails because I simply cannot walk around in the house barefoot so straight out of the shower my feet go into my slippers. I shower twice a day in an effort to reduce the spread from work to home to the gym. My sleeping partner however walks bare foot and is no doubt tracking the beetles into our bed despite my best efforts. When something falls on the floor I consider it lost for good.
I am so depressed and distraught at seeing this beetle after trying my best to just go about my life and pretending they don’t exist (but never going a day not thinking about them) I had a panic attack and then started eating everything in sight (I’ve lost a lot of weight over the past year but this is just the thing to make me go off the rails.) I can’t live like this. If I saw that one by chance Lord knows how many there would be if I looked. I can’t bring myself to look anymore. I can’t live like this. My mother says I’m overreacting. I say she doesn’t know what she’s dealing with. It’s been FIVE YEARS OF THIS! I’ve thrown out so much stuff. They’ve followed me through 4 apartments.
I see these bags and think “oh maybe that would help.” http://www.ziploc.ca/en/products/SpaceBag/ziploc-brand-space-bag-regular-bag.aspx But of course not because the idiot that made them doesn’t realize that sucking the air out with the vacuum would surely transmit the frigging things right into the bag. It’s as if no one else in the world knows these things exist at all! I’m envious of those people. I miss walking barefoot in my home. This is no way to live. I’m a prisoner in my apartment again. Afraid to go out and socialize because I feel like I’m dirty and have this shameful secret, but I’m also afraid to stay home for fear of what I may find.