Creature feature
Variegated Carpet beetle -
(Anthrenus verbasci)
Adult, 1.5-4 mm in size, speckled yellow in colour.

Life cycle
Egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

Life Style
The female lays up to 100 eggs on a suitable high protein animal based medium, such as bird's nests, carpets and furs, which the larva feeds on. The larva are 5mm long and covered in bristles and are known as 'woolly bears'. They will moult up to 5 times before mating. The adults emerge in spring searching for pollen and nectar which they feed on throughout the summer returning to more sheltered areas in the autumn to lay their eggs.

Pest Factor
The larval stages cause damage to a variety of material. Their preferred food varies with the species, but all carpet beetle larvae can feed on wool carpets and other wool products, furs, hides, horns, feathers, hair, and silk. They will also feed on linen, cotton, and rayon if these fabrics are soiled with juice, food, or animal excreta. They can be pests in cereals, stored grains, nuts, meal, Indian corn, red pepper, and similar products.

Common furniture beetle, Wood worm - (Anobium punctatum)
Adult, 3-5mm long, dark brown in colour.

Life cycle
Egg - larva - pupa - adult

Life Style
The adult female emerges in spring flying off to find a mate and a suitable timber site to lay her eggs. The eggs hatch 2-4 weeks later and the larvae bore into the timber. In doors the lifecycle of the larva takes from 2-4 years. At the final stage the larva tunnels close to the surface and pupates. The adult emerges leaving a 2mm exit hole.

Pest Factor
A pest of structural timber causing significant damage.