Latin: Attagenus pellio
Fur beetle or carpet beetle are typically found everywhere outdoors, but they can also be found inside your home. They are not a per say a useful animal in the wild, but they are not an inconvenience to other animals either.
In the wild, the fur beetle is mainly harmless as they, as larvae, feed on waste, where the fully grown beetles feed on pollen and nectar. However, they may become an annoyance if they stray inside your home. As the fur beetle female can lay eggs in different woolen fabric, where the larvae will eat the fabric when hatched.
Appearance
An adult fur beetle is only 3.5 – 6 mm long in average. It has a dark, almost black color all over the body and a slightly shiny surface. On the coverts, there are two white spots, which is right in the middle. At the back of the neck shield it has three small white spots. A fur beetle has fine but strong wings, so you can expect them to fly. The body is considerably larger than the head, and the hind body is absolutely the largest.
The larva of a fur beetle is unique in their appearance compared to other larvae. A typical larva is an elongated little creature that is white, yellowish, or beige. But a fur beetle larva has a brown color and is hairy. In the end, it has a hair-brush, which makes it easy to recognize, size wise they are up to 1 cm long. One can take the ordinary fur- or carpet beetle larvae as a brown carpet beetle larva, as they are related. The easiest way to distinguish in between them, is by the location where they are found. If the larva is found indoors, it is most likely the brown carpet beetle larva. A common carpet beetle larva is typically found outdoors.
Biology and behavior
During the summer, one can find the fur beetle near flowering plants. This is because the adult fur beetles feed on nectar and pollen. However, the larvae cannot live on this diet. The female fur beetle typically lay their eggs in mice or bird’s nests. Here there is plenty of fur and/ or feathers, which the larvae nourish on. The female fur beetle can typically lay between 50 and 100 eggs. The development from egg to adult depends on temperature, food availability and humidity, but their development usually takes over a year.
Since both males and females can fly, fur beetles can easily lay their eggs high up in birds’ nests. Although the larvae eat feathers as well as waste from the nest, they can fall onto the roof and enter the home from there.
Damage
If a female fur beetle comes inside, she may well consider laying her eggs in a pile of wool. This is because wool, like feathers and fur, can provide good nourishment for her larvae when they are hatched. But this is annoying for people who probably prefer that the larvae do not gnaw holes in their woolen clothes and woolen goods and that beetles and other insects remain outdoors.
A way to check if you are having a fur beetle problem, check your drawers, floor cracks, and cupboards for empty caterpillar skins. During the larval stage, the larva changes skin relatively often. Therefore, one can find these empty skins all over the place in the area where the larvae live.
Prevention and control
Most often, fur beetles just wander into homes without causing any problems. You do not immediately have to be nervous about larvae in your woolen clothes if you see a single fur beetle indoors. A real sign of problems is when you observe several adult beetles and larvae in your home, including damage to your textiles, especially wool. If there are branches hanging over one’s roof where there are clear signs of bird nests, then remove the nest as soon as the chicks have flown from there.
You treat against fur beetles, just as you treat against moths, by thoroughly cleaning the infested textiles. For certain types of wool, you can also use agent with permethrin. Remember a thorough cleaning with a vacuum cleaner along panels, in drawers and cabinets as well as in cracks in the floor and ceiling. Textiles and other things that have been attacked can be heat treated at 60 degrees.
"Pests in House and Home"
"Bed Bugs - Bites, Stings and Itches"
"Food Pests"
"Husets dyreliv" (Insects Around the House - Only danish)
"Skadedyr i træ" (Timber Pests - Only danish)
"Stuefluen" (Common Housefly - Only danish)