Larder Carpet Beetles

Close relatives of the larder beetle are used to clean the flesh from skeletons used in museums.

Larder carpet beetles.

The adult larder beetle is about 1 3 of an inch in length. When larder beetles gather in hundreds or thousands damage can become significant. They overwinter near food sources particularly in kitchen pantries. Clean carpet beetle prone areas frequently.

While they can harm home support. There are approximately 500 to 700 species worldwide. The adult larder beetle is brown colored and has a light to yellowish mark on the midsection of their bodies. They can range in size from 1 to 12 mm.

Their name comes from the practice of ages past where before refrigeration households had larders to store cured meats cheeses and the like along with other. The entire life cycle of this pest requires around four months to a year the time period depending on the temperature. Treat spills and stains immediately as well. Keratin is the main protein found in animal feathers and hair and this kind of carpet beetles can digest this keratin easily.

Larder beetles enter homes through open doors or cracks in walls during the late summer and fall to escape cold weather. They are small in size only about to long and oval shaped. These pests are responsible for damaging your upholstered furniture the most. The larder beetle larvae are about an inch in length.

The larvae have two small pincers at the end of their body. It actually prefers to feast on animal skin commonly found on skeletons in museums. Vacuuming carpeting and washing your clothes and other fabrics frequently at least once every 2 or so weeks is the best way to prevent a carpet beetle infestation. Larder beetles are a type of carpet beetle but they only attack woolens that have been soiled with blood fish oils or other high protein stains.

Larder beetles get their names from the place they are often found in your larder which is an old word for your pantry or cupboard where you store food especially grains and meat. Other common names include larder beetle hide or leather beetles carpet beetles and khapra beetles. Skin beetles are great resources and are commonly used by museums to remove or devour skin as the latin name implies. The usually clubbed antennae fit into deep grooves.

Food and sweat stains on fabrics can attract carpet beetles. This flesh eating beetle isn t as scary as it might sound. They can also sometimes cause an allergic reaction. Key characteristics for adults are round oval shaped bodies covered in scales or setae.

Larder beetles are less commonly known as skin beetles. The wings are covered in small yellow hairs. Larder beetles overwinter as adults in protected places. They may eat through your clothes rugs and furniture.

Carpet beetles can be an annoyance in your home.