Carpet beetles are found throughout Europe and have quite a telling name. They feed on the natural fibres found in carpets, curtains, rugs and other furniture, but they’ll also eat dead skin and insects. As a result, they can cause a lot of damage on property and can enter buildings with ease as they are able to fly.
Once hatched from their eggs, these small pests start their lives similar to many beetles as small cylindrical larvae. Carpet beetle larvae are found up to 5mm in length and appear to be furry. The hairs tend to be organised in light and dark brown stripes and are used as a defence against predators. In nature, they detach their irritating hairs onto wasps and other threats that may try to eat them or lay their eggs on them. The larvae stage can last anywhere between a couple of weeks to a few months dependent on the temperature.
As adults, their lives are spent predominantly looking for a mate. Once eggs are produced, females will go looking for sheltered areas with sources of food for their larvae. You’ll see these between May and August as they no longer will feed on natural fibres but they’ll feed on pollen from plants. They tend to be around 3mm in length with brown, yellow and white markings and they’ll only live for around 2 weeks in total.
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