Carpet Beetles
Carpet
Beetles belong to the Family Dermestidae (Order Coleoptera) and are widely
known for the damage they may cause to a variety of materials of animal
origin.
A number of species are active in Australia, but the more commonly encountered ones are the variegated carpet beetle and the black carpet beetle. The distribution of carpet beetles is more widespread than that of clothes moths, probably owing to their higher tolerance of lower humidities, as may be prevalent in inland locations. Only the larval stage is destructive to various materials.
Adult carpet beetles are typically small (up to 5mm long) and oval or elongate-oval in shape. Larvae are usually red-brown in colour and endowed with stiff bristles over the body surface.