Carpet Beetle Skin Shed

Larvae young carpet beetles are 1 8 to 1 4 inch long and.

Carpet beetle skin shed.

Look for shed skins on the underside of rugs in folds or hidden areas on clothing or wool blankets or under furniture or in corners where lint pet hair and dead insects collect. Marcia is the bed bug and vector management specialist for the pesticides program in edison. Check the area with a magnifying glass for the shed larval skins remembering that even a single carpet beetle skin could result in multiple bite like reactions due to the number of hairs they carry. Shed molted skins of carpet beetles associated with mice nesting in an attic.

These light brown empty skins remain behind and can accumulate in areas where larvae are feeding. Once found infested items and susceptible articles nearby should be laundered dry cleaned or discarded. Carpet beetle larvae molt or shed their skins several times as they grow. An infestation can be identified through discovery of damage to fabrics shed skin as well as visible larval movement.

Dry cleaning is suggested as carpet beetle larvae thrive on stained clothing. Because carpet beetle larvae feed on lint dust and animal hairs strict housekeeping procedures may help to keep an infestation at bay. Silk threads mixed in means clothes moths instead. They range in color from black to speckled with white brown yellow and orange.

Bagging heavily infested items before disposal can help prevent further spread of the beetles. Harder to find skins when there is random damage to hanging clothes.