Beetles

The Carpet beetle is the most common pests of carpets.  This species is known to cause dermatitis in humans.

Adults about 1/16 - 1/8"  long.  Body black, with pattern of whitish and orange/red scales.  Head is concealed from above.

Larvae up to  1/4" long.  Color is reddish brown, covered with blackish and or brown hairs, with tufts of spearheaded hairs.

Fabrics typically have extensive surface damage and irregular holes here and there.  However in carpets tacked to the floor, they often eat slits following the floor cracks.  Furs and bushes have mostly the tips of hairs damaged, leaving uneven areas.

Females lay 30-60 whitish eggs on/in larval food material, typically during May and June.

Common carpet beetle larvae feed on a wide variety of animal and plant materials.  Animal-origin materials include woolens, hair, bristles, feathers, silk, furs and insect collections.  Plant-origin materials include rye flour and wheat.  Their favorite foods are carpet, clothing and textiles.

The primary breeding areas are quite divers and may include obscure or unused places such as wall/ceiling voids where yellowjackets, etc. lived or where cluster flies over wintered; crawl spaces, basements, in wasps or hornet nests in attics, under eves, around windows, behind baseboards where lint and hair accumulate and other areas that may have dead insects or contain animals/plant materials.

Adults fly during the daytime.  They are commonly brought indoors on cut flowers.  Active larvae tend to run farther then crawl.

The Confused flower beetle apparently got its common name because of the confusion regarding its identity.  It is one of the most important pests of stored products found in home and in grocery stores..

Adults about 1/8" long.  Their color is reddish brown.  Antennae is gradually club like.  Adults with wings, but never observed flying.  They are almost identical to red flour beetle.

Full-grown larva about 1/8 - 1/4" long.  Their color is white but tinted yellowish.

The confused flour beetle female deposits about 300 -500 clear white sticky eggs on or among food materials in cracks, in bags, or through mesh of sacks containing food.  The female lays 2-3 eggs per day, but lives for 2-3 years. 

These beetles are unable to feed on whole kernels or undamaged grain.  They have been recorded attacking grains and grain products, peas, beans, shelled nuts, dried fruits, spices, milk chocolates, drugs, snuff, cayenne pepper, are hebarium, insect and other museum specimens.  They have also been found to infest poison baits.

They are attracted to light but have not been observed to fly.

Although humans are not injured by it, confused flour beetles do impart a disagreeable color and taste to the flour they infest.

The Hide/ Leather beetles common name comes from hides and skin being preferred food of adults and larvae. 

Adults about 1/4 - 3/8" long; elongated oval.  They are black in color sometimes reddish brown.  Antenna short and clubbed.

Larvae up to about 5/8" long; dark brown, covered with long brown hairs, with a broad yellow dorsal median length- wise strip extending from head to near end of body.

They damage skin or hide primarily on its inner surface with holes cut by larvae to reach inner surface.

Adult females lay their eggs in batches of 2 - 20 in cracks, skins, and hides, number of eggs can range from 648-845.

(Insect Information excerpted from the NPCA Field Guide to Structural Pests)