CARPET BEETLES 



that is easily distinguished at a glance from the other species ; it is 

 golden, yellowish or chocolate brown, elongated, with a tuft of long 

 brown hairs at the end of its body. 



Development and Habits 



Carpet beetles pass through the four usual stages of insect devel- 

 opment — egg^ larva, pupa, and adult. The adult beetles fly readily, 

 are attracted to daylight, and are often found crawling on window 

 sills. They like sunlight and are frequently seen out of doors late 

 in the spring feeding on the pollen of flowers. In city areas they 

 undoubtedly fly from house to house on hot days. In a house a 

 female seldom lays more than 100 eggs, which are placed in all sorts 

 of situations, such as floor cracks, 

 about baseboards, and in the pile 

 of clothing and furniture covers. 



Figure 5. — -Adult of the furniture carpet 

 beetle. Twelve times natural size. 



I.- Adult of the varied carp 

 Seventeen times natural size. 



The adults may live several months, but often do not live more than 

 2 weeks if actively engaged in egg laying. 



In warm weather the soft white eggs hatch in from 8 to 15 days. 

 The young larvae immediately begin to feed and steadily increase 

 their capacity for injury until they become mature (figs. 1, 7, 8, 

 and 9) and transform to the pupal state. This growth requires 

 (for most individuals) about 1 year, during which time the larva 

 sheds its skin from 6 to 10 or more times. These cast skins, or 

 "shells", as they are sometimes called, are very numerous and often 

 lead the housewife to believe that the infestation is far worse than 

 it really is. Usually there is only one generation of carpet beetles 

 in a year, but occasionally two generations are produced. The 

 larvae, unlike the adults, shun the light and secrete themselves in 

 darkened places, particularly in articles long in storage and about 

 the edges of carpeting and beneath baseboards. Only the larvae 

 or grubs of carpet beetles cause damage. 



Molting Habits and Their Effect on Control 



Carpet beetle larvae increase in size by molting or shedding the 

 old skin. After molting, the larvae eat voraciously, but when ready 



