Tiny Black Carpet Beetles

These tiny black beetle bugs belong to the family dermestidae and their larvae can be a true household pest.

Tiny black carpet beetles.

The adults are small 1 16 to 1 8 inch oval shaped beetles ranging in color from black to various mottled patterns of white brown yellow and orange. Carpet beetles also are known as little black beetles and are most common around the house carpet. The small black carpet beetle is an indoor invasive pest. It s somehow hard to notice these insects due to their slow reproductive nature but you will find them in most homes.

Attagenus unicolor is the scientific name for the black carpet beetle. A clump of golden hairs is located at the end of their bodies. Adults do not cause damage indoors. These tiny carpet beetles start out their adult life as white beetles.

One variety of household pest that can fit the tiny black beetle description is the common carpet beetle. Black carpet beetle larvae are longer than many other carpet beetle larvae and are brown and gold in color. Because they feed on natural cloth fibers cereals and pet food most homes contain at least a few carpet beetles. Black carpet beetle larvae can survive up to 640 days and adults can live for a couple of months.

Carpet beetles measure just 1 16 to 1 8 inches long about the size of a pinhead and vary in color. Adult carpet beetles feed on flower pollen and do not damage woolens and other fabrics. They feed on cloth fiber pet foods or cereals. Like many other beetles they are round or oval and convex like ladybugs.

They reproduce very slowly so rarely do they become noticeable or a great nuisance.