Varied Carpet Beetles in Walkden, Worsley and Eccles.
The Varied Carpet Beetle Is Your Home Infested - The Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) is a fairly new pest to the northern parts of the U.K. having been largely restricted to the southern counties but now pest operatives in Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester are increasingly being called out to infestations of this insect pest.
The carpet beetle is a very distinctive, easily recognised beetle that can be a serious problem in the home. Its larvae feeds on natural fibres and can damage anything of natural origin, i.e. woolen carpets, fabric furniture and clothing made from natural fibres.
The larval form is known as a woolly bear, a name it shares with the larvae of Pyrrharctia isabella or the Isabella Tiger moth.
The Varied Carpet Beetle was the first insect to be demonstrated to have a circadian and an annual cycle and to date remains the classic example of circannual cycles in insect species.
The larval form of A. verbasci are about 4-5 mm in length. The body has a pattern of alternating light- and dark-brown stripes. The body of the larvae is usually more wide at the back than at the front and contains three pairs of hair tufts on its rear abdomen that are used for defending itself
Adult A. verbasci range in size from 1.7 to 3.5 mm in length. Their dorsal surface has scales of two colours, whitish and yellowish-brown. White scales are concentrated along the lateral margins of the pronotum. In addition, their antennae are 11-segmented with a three segmented club.
A Verbasci or The Varied Carpet Beetle has a very unusual life cycle for an insect, developing from larvae to adult in one to three years, depending on the environment in which it finds itself.
Larvae hatch from eggs in the spring, very often they are associated with birds nests or around stored natural fabrics Larvae devour natural fibres throughout their larval stage, eventually experiencing a dormancy or diapause before completing pupation and emerging as an adult. A. verbasci adults emerge between April and early August, and feed on pollen.
These pests cause both physical damage by their larvae devouring fabrics and psychological trauma from the vast numbers of these pests which can emerge into homes.
When attempting to deal with these pests it is important to check for the presence of birds nesting material and remove any nests and feathers etc. from the infested before treating with an appropriate insecticide.
It is necessary to note that in Great Britain legislation affects the removal of birds nests, including sparrows and starlings which are the two common birds which are connected with A.verbasci so professional advice should be sought to avoid contravening the law.
