“What is this bug?” is all this reader asks in her submission. She refers to the creature pictured below, which is brown in color, and appears to have bristles and three pairs of prolegs. In most cases, we would need far more context to identify a creature, but given that we have seen this little critter about a thousand times, we can tell right off the bat that this is a carpet beetle larva. These creatures are infamous household pests, as their infestations can spread quickly and do a lot of harm to the items in one’s home. Additionally, their infestations can also go unnoticed for long periods of time, meaning that a lot of that damage can be done before the home owners even become aware of the problem.

With that said, it must be noted that carpet beetle larvae are not directly harmful to humans or pets. They do not bite or sting, they are not venomous, and they are not parasitic. Their diet consists primarily of organic-based materials, and so they will often feed on textiles containing such materials. Such materials include cotton, wool, leather, silk and feathers, but they will also eat loose hair and fur. Furniture/items that one will typically find them on include carpets (hence the name), upholstery, beds, clothing and towels. These are the places our reader can look for them. In particular, she should look in places that are dark and provide small, cramped spaces: carpet beetle larvae love those.

Now, we recommend that she search her home for more larvae because infestations are probable, but that does not mean she is necessarily experiencing one. We just want her to make sure if she is or not. In the case that she does find more larvae and thinks she may be experiencing an infestation, it is vital that she immediately vacuum her entire home and launder/steam-clean and potentially affected items. Additionally, to prevent future infestations of all kinds of bugs, it is important to make sure one’s window screens are in good shape and that there are no cracks in walling and flooring through which creatures could crawl. Likewise, storing any unused garments, that are even partially organic in make, in airtight containers or vacuum-sealed bags will attract less carpet beetle larvae.

To conclude, the bug our reader found is a carpet beetle larva. Just because she found one, does not mean there is an infestation, but it is definitely worth keeping her eyes peeled for one. We hope this helps and we wish her the very best!

Summary

Article Name

Bristly Bug with Prolegs is a Carpet Beetle Larva

Description

"What is this bug?" is all this reader asks in her submission. She refers to the creature pictured below, which is brown in color, and appears to have bristles and three pairs of prolegs.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton