| CARPET BEETLES |
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PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Carpet beetles are varied in color, generally being
black or brownish and often speckled.
Carpet beetles have complete life cycles, and may take up to three years to
complete a life cycle.
Their eggs hatch in 17 to 18 days.
The adults live short lives from 14 to 40 days.
The larvae hatch and emerge in the Spring and will usually be found where the
carpet meets the walls, and on the walls and ceilings.
They may infest odd areas such as wall or ceiling voids, attics, rodent baits,
wasp and hornet nests, and animal trophies.
FEEDING HABITS
The larvae alone are responsible for damage to
commodities.
Larvae feed on a wide variety of materials including; hair, fur, feathers,
hides, horns, carcasses, dead insects, cereal, stored grain, nuts,
seeds, cayenne peppers, and flour.
They love your clothes, will eat your drapes and make a mess out of your carpet.
They hide in the wall and you won't find them until its
too late!
Varied carpet beetles will feed on the food products in pantries.
The adults feed largely on pollen and nectar and are commonly carried into homes
on flowers. A number of carpet beetles require pollen
for successful production of eggs.
DAMAGE THEY DO
On furs they will cut the hairs at the base and leave
the hide undamaged giving a bare appearance.
On fabrics they mostly graze on the surface but can also make irregular shaped
holes.
They may burrow through packaging when seeking food.
TREATMENT
Often the Pest-A-Way Barrier is all that is really
needed to control adult carpet beetles on the outside of a home. And by
preventing them on the outside, the probability of an interior infestation is
greatly reduced. In the case of an interior infestation an inspection/treatment
will be necessary.
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