Carpet Beetle

Order Coleoptera

• Appearance: Small, rounded, gray to blackish, with a varied pattern of whitish and orange scales on the back; shape resembles the lady bug; about 1/5" long.
• Habits: Adults often inhabit flowerbeds; can enter the home when cut flowers are brought in; outside, feeds on pollen and nectar.
• Diet: In homes, larvae will eat carpet and woolen fabric and other animal products.
• Reproduction: Female lays 30 to 100 eggs, which hatch in 10 to 18 days; larval stage lasts 60 to 325 days; adults live 20 to 60 days.
• Other Information: All damage is done by the larvae; contact with carpet beetles can cause dermatitis in humans.