Carpet Beetle Skin Shed

In a heavy carpet beetle infestation you should find many shed skins in areas where the larvae are feeding.

Carpet beetle skin shed.

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. An infestation can be identified through discovery of damage to fabrics shed skin as well as visible larval movement. Silk threads mixed in means clothes moths instead.

They range in color from black to speckled with white brown yellow and orange. Carpet beetle larvae molt or shed their skins several times as they grow. 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. Larvae young carpet beetles are 1 8 to 1 4 inch long and.

These are easier to find if you are talking about an infested carpet or woolens stored in a box. 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. The adults are 1 16 to 1 8 inch long and oval shaped. Harder to find skins when there is random damage to hanging clothes.

Marcia is the bed bug and vector management specialist for the pesticides program in edison. Because carpet beetle larvae feed on lint dust and animal hairs strict housekeeping procedures may help to keep an infestation at bay.