Varied Carpet Beetles in Whitefield, Prestwich and Swinton.
The Varied Carpet Beetle Is Your Home Infested – The Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) is a relatively new pest to the northern parts of Britain having been largely restricted to the south but now pest controllers in Cheshire, Lancashire and Manchester are increasingly being called out to infestations of this insect pest.
The carpet beetle is a very distinctive, easily identified beetle that can be a serious nuisance in the house. It feeds on natural fibres and can devour anything of natural origin, such as woolen carpets, fabric furniture and clothing made from natural fibres.
The larval form is known as a woolly bear, a common name it shares with the young of Pyrrharctia isabella or the Isabella Tiger moth.
The Varied Carpet Beetle was the first insect to be shown to have a circadian and an annual cycle and to this date remains the classic example of circannual cycles in insects.
The larval form of A. verbasci are roughly 4-5 mm in length. The body is covered in a pattern of alternating light- and dark-brown stripes. The body is usually thicker at the rear than at the front and contains three pairs of hair tufts along its rear abdomen that are designed 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 yellow brown. White scales are concentrated along the lateral margins of the pronotum. In addition, their antennae have eleven segments with a club of 3 segments.
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 environmental conditions.
Larvae hatch from eggs in the spring, very often they are associated with birds nests or around stored natural fabrics Larvae feed on natural fibres throughout their larval stage, eventually emerging as an adult. Varied Carpet Beetle adults emerge between April and early August, and feed on pollen.
These insect pests cause both physical damage due to their larvae eating fabrics and psychological trauma from the vast numbers of these pests which can emerge into living quarters.
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 insecticide.
It is important to keep in mind that in the U.K. legislation affects the removal of birds nests, including starlings and sparrows which are two of the common birds which have an association with A.verbasci so professional help should be sought to avoid breaking the law.
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