Larder Beetles In Carpet

Close relatives of the larder beetle are used to clean the flesh from skeletons used in museums.

Larder beetles in carpet.

Dermestes beetles are considerably larger than the previous species being between 7 and 10 mm elongate oval in shape and are covered with hairs that are closely appressed to the body. Three of the most common species the hide larder and black larder beetles are known scientifically as dermestes maculatus dermestes lardarius and dermestes ater. While they can harm home support. The larvae have two small pincers at the end of their body.

The larder beetle larvae are about an inch in length. Larder beetles are a type of carpet beetle but they only attack woolens that have been soiled with blood fish oils or other high protein stains. They overwinter near food sources particularly in kitchen pantries. When larder beetles gather in hundreds or thousands damage can become significant.

Larder beetles get their names from the place they are often found in your larder which is an old word for your pantry or cupboard where you store food especially grains and meat. Larder beetles overwinter as adults in protected places. The adult larder beetle is brown colored and has a light to yellowish mark on the midsection of their bodies. They are small in size only about to long and oval shaped.

The wings are covered in small yellow hairs. The adult larder beetle is about 1 3 of an inch in length. How serious are larder beetles. All three belong to the insect family called dermestidae and are related to carpet beetles a more common group of indoor insect pests.

The adult beetles are a bit smaller. If you find something that looks similar but is smaller grain of rice size it s more likely a carpet beetle both insects are a bummer to be infested by. Larder beetles and their larvae are not tiny really the larvae range from 3 4 to almost an inch in length. One of the more commonly encountered species in homes is the larder beetle dermestes.

Black carpet beetle larvae.