The Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) is a relatively new pest to the north of Britain having been largely confined to the balmy southern climate but now pest controllers in Cheshire, Lancashire and Manchester are increasingly being called out to deal with this insect pest.
It is a very distinctive, easily recognised beetle that can be a serious problem in the home.
It feeds on natural fibres and can devour anything of natural origin, woolen carpets, furniture and clothing.
The larval form is known as a woolly bear, a nickname it shares with the larvae of Pyrrharctia isabella or the Isabella Tiger moth.
The varied carpet beetle was the very first insect to be shown to have a circadian and an annual cycle and to this date remains a classic example of circannual cycles in insects.
The larvae of A. verbasci are about 4-5 mm in length.
The body has a pattern of alternating light and brown stripes.
The larvae is usually wider at the back than at the front and also bears 3 pairs of hair tufts on its rear abdomen that are used for self-defence
The adult carpet beetle 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 have eleven segments with a club of 3 segments.
A Verbasci has a very unusual life cycle for an insect, the development from larvae to adult can take anything from 1-3 years, depending on the environment in which it finds itself.
Larvae hatch from eggs in the spring, very often they are associated with birds’ nests or around stored natural fabrics.
Larvae devour natural fibres throughout their larval stage, eventually emerging as an adult.
Adults emerge between March and early August, and feed on pollen.
These insect pests cause both physical damage by their larvae eating fabrics and psychological damage from the huge numbers of these pests which can emerge into homes.
When attempting to deal with these insects it is important to lookout for the presence of birds’ nests and remove any nests and feathers etc from the infested before treating with an appropriate insecticide.
It is important to be aware that in the Great Britain legislation affects the removal of birds’ nest, including sparrows and starlings which are the two common birds which have an association with A.verbasci so professional advice should be sought to avoid contravening the law.
By: Ken Chadwick..
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Ken Chadwick B.A.(hons) is a working pest controller and author on pest control issues in the Manchester area of Great Britain Urmston Pest Control and also Chorley Pest Control.
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