Varied Carpet Beetles in Trafford, Manchester and Cheshire.
The Varied Carpet Beetle How To Get Rid Of Carpet Beetle – The Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) is a relatively new pest to the north of Great Britain having been largely restricted to the south but now pest controllers in Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester are increasingly being called out to infestations of this insect pest.
It is a very distinctive, easily identified beetle that can be a serious pest in the home. It feeds on natural fibres and can devour anything of natural origin, i.e. woolen carpets, fabric furniture and clothing.
The larvae are known as a woolly bear, a name it shares with the young of Pyrrharctia isabella or the Isabella Tiger moth.
The Varied Carpet Beetle was the very first insect to be demonstrated to have both a circadian and an annual cycle and to date remains the classic example of circannual cycles in insects.
The larval form of A. verbasci are circa 4-5 mm in length. The body has a pattern of alternating stripes. The larvae is usually thicker at the rear than at the front end and also bears three pairs of hair tufts on its rear abdomen that can be used for self-defence.
Adult A. verbasci range in size from 1.7 to 3.5 mm in length. Their dorsal surface has scales of two colours, off .white and yellow brown. White scales are concentrated along the lateral margins of the pronotum. In addition, their antennae are 11-segmented with a club of 3 segments.
A Verbasci or The Varied Carpet Beetle has a very strange life cycle for an insect, the development from larvae to adult can take anything from one to three years, according to the environment in which it finds itself.
Larvae hatch from eggs in the spring, often they are associated with birds nests or around stored natural fabrics Larvae devour natural fibres throughout their development, eventually emerging as an adult. Varied Carpet Beetle adults emerge between April and early August, and feed on pollen.
These pests cause both physical damage due to their larvae devouring fabrics and psychological damage from the huge numbers of these pests which can emerge into homes.
When attempting to deal with these pests it is important to lookout for the presence of birds nesting material and remove any nests and feathers etc. from the affected area before treating with an insecticide.
It is important to keep in mind that in the U.K. legislation affects the damaging of birds nests, including house sparrows and starlings which are the two most common birds which have an association with A.verbasci so professional help should be sought to avoid contravening the law.