Varied Carpet Beetles in Rochdale, Oldham and Bury.
The Varied Carpet Beetle How To Get Rid Of Carpet Beetle – The Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) is a fairly new pest to the northern parts of Britain having been to the southern parts of the country but now pest controllers in Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire 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 pest in the house. Its larvae feeds on natural fibres and can eat anything of natural origin, such as woolen carpets, fabrics and clothing.
The larvae are 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 identified to have a circadian and an annual cycle and to this date remains a classic example of circannual cycles in insect species.
The larvae of A. verbasci are roughly 4-5 mm in length. The body has a pattern of alternating light and brown stripes. The body of the larvae is usually more wide at the rear than at the front end and also bears 3 pairs of hair tufts along its rear abdomen that can be used for defending itself
Adult insects range from 1.7 to 3.5 mm in length. Their elytra or wing case has scales of two colours, whitish and yellowish-brown. White scales are condensed 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 strange 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, often they are associated with birds nests or around stored natural fabrics Larvae eat natural fibres throughout their development, eventually emerging as an adult. Varied Carpet Beetle adults emerge between March and early August, and feed on pollen.
These insect pests cause both physical damage by their larvae devouring natural and psychological upset from the vast numbers of these pests which can infest houses.
When attempting to deal with these pests it is important to look for the presence of birds nesting material and remove any nests and feathers etc. from the affected area before treating with an appropriate insecticide.
It is necessary to be aware that in Great Britain legislation affects the harming of birds nests, including starlings and house 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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