What Do Carpet Beetle Larvae Skins Look Like

These light brown empty skins remain behind and can accumulate in areas where larvae are feeding.

What do carpet beetle larvae skins look like. Feeding damage caused by carpet beetles. Where do carpet beetles live. They could just crawl on your skin and their hairs will cause it to have an allergic. Although the biting of carpet beetles can cause bad symptoms on your skin actual dermatitis comes from a skin allergy that you have to these beetles.

They may look mottled with black brown and white or be solid black depending on the species. As noted earlier carpet beetle larvae feed on animal based materials especially wool felt fur silk feathers and leather. Carpet beetle larvae molt or shed their skins several times as they grow. They are usually brown or tan and have white and tan stripes on their bodies.

Carpet beetle larvae grow up to 1 4 of an inch in length. Their most unique feature is the bristly hairs that are located on their backs. Depending on the specific species they can be tapered like a carrot or oval in shape. Their old skins split down the back much like a cicada nymph s shell and the larvae work their way out.

However carpet beetles obviously cause carpet beetle dermatitis because that is where the name comes from. Their larvae are grublike and covered with hairs. The best way to tell carpet beetle damage from clothes moth damage is to look for shed skins left behind by carpet beetle larvae. You will notice shed skins that look like little shells.