carpet beetle

Small black or brown beetle. The larvae are covered with hairs and often known as woolly bears; they feed on carpets, fabrics, and hides causing damage.

The common carpet beetle Anthrenus scrophularia measures 3-4 mm/0.1-0.2 in long. It is oval, black, and has yellow scales on the shield (pronotum) and ginger red on the wing cases (elytra). This species prefers fabrics to carpets, and the larvae, which are brownish, hairy grubs, eat holes into fabrics or make slits in the carpet.

Larvae of Anthrenus museorum can do extensive damage to museum collections. Specimens of stuffed animals or entire insect collections, which have been inadequately treated prior to storage, can be destroyed.

Classification