Brown-striped Bug with Long Tail is a Carpet Beetle Larva

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“What is this?” is all this reader asks about the brown-striped organism with a tail pictured below. Usually, when readers provide no context, it is difficult to identify the organisms in the picture, as we have only their appearance to go on. However, in the case of this little critter, we have seen their like so many times that we know exactly what this is. This is a carpet beetle larva. If any of our other readers have been following our articles for some time, they are probably familiar with this little bugger by now. Carpet beetle larvae are infamous for infesting people’s homes and chewing up all their clothing and furniture, and that is because they will munch on anything that is made from materials that are organic. This includes cotton, wool, silk, feathers and leather, and people can commonly find them in their wardrobe, on their carpets and rugs, on and under their beds, and in their attic. They will even eat loose strands of hair and fur.

What we find funny about this critter in particular is the long tail coming out one end of its body. It is not uncommon for carpet beetle larvae to have bristles shooting out from their rear, like a tail, but this one seems only to have one. Alternatively, it could be all of its bristles bunched up together, appearing to be one long strand. In any case, what we recommend our reader do is move this larva outside. They are not harmful to humans: they do not bite or sting, and they are not parasitic, nor do they carry parasites, or diseases and pathogens for that matter.

Additionally, we recommend that she search her home for more roaming larvae, as they can cause infestations that are hard to eliminate. On top of that, they can be hard to spot. So if our reader wants to vacuum her home just in case, that might be a good idea. To prevent infestations, it is a good idea to keep one’s home consistently vacuumed and to store garments that are not frequently used in airtight containers. Likewise, making sure that one’s window screens are intact and that any cracks in walls and floors (that are big enough for a bug to crawl through) are sealed is vital to keeping out all sorts of pesky creatures.

In conclusion, the little striped bug our reader found is a carpet beetle larva. We hope she has found this article informative and we wish her the very best!

 

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Summary
Brown-striped Bug with Long Tail is a Carpet Beetle Larva
Article Name
Brown-striped Bug with Long Tail is a Carpet Beetle Larva
Description
"What is this?" is all this reader asks about the brown-striped organism with a tail pictured below. Usually, when readers provide no context, it is difficult to identify the organisms in the picture, as we have only their appearance to go on. However, in the case of this little critter, we have seen their like so many times that we know exactly what this is. This is a carpet beetle larva. If any of our other readers have been following our articles for some time, they are probably familiar with this little bugger by now. Carpet beetle larvae are infamous for infesting people's homes and chewing up all their clothing and furniture, and that is because they will munch on anything that is made from materials that are organic. This includes cotton, wool, silk, feathers and leather, and people can commonly find them in their wardrobe, on their carpets and rugs, on and under their beds, and in their attic. They will even eat loose strands of hair and fur.
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Author: Worm Researcher Anton

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