Carpet Beetle Skin Shed

Carpet beetle larvae molt or shed their skins several times as they grow.

Carpet beetle skin shed. Dry cleaning is suggested as carpet beetle larvae thrive on stained clothing. Harder to find skins when there is random damage to hanging clothes. In a heavy carpet beetle infestation you should find many shed skins in areas where the larvae are feeding. Check the area with a magnifying glass for the shed larval skins remembering that even a single carpet beetle skin could result in multiple bite like reactions due to the number of hairs they carry.

Silk threads mixed in means clothes moths instead. Marcia is the bed bug and vector management specialist for the pesticides program in edison. Because carpet beetle larvae feed on lint dust and animal hairs strict housekeeping procedures may help to keep an infestation at bay. Look for shed skins on the underside of rugs in folds or hidden areas on clothing or wool blankets or under furniture or in corners where lint pet hair and dead insects collect.

Bagging heavily infested items before disposal can help prevent further spread of the beetles. Once found infested items and susceptible articles nearby should be laundered dry cleaned or discarded. They range in color from black to speckled with white brown yellow and orange. The adults are 1 16 to 1 8 inch long and oval shaped.

An infestation can be identified through discovery of damage to fabrics shed skin as well as visible larval movement. These light brown empty skins remain behind and can accumulate in areas where larvae are feeding.