On the windowsill this week . . .

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bankst
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 9:50 am

On the windowsill this week . . .

Post by bankst »

We've had a mini-outbreak of these beautiful little beetles at our office building in Runcorn - fortunately not at home - for they are Varied Carpet Beetles, Anthrenus verbasci, dreaded by natural history museums, collectors of clothes, musical instruments, or anyone with carpets. The larvae, referred to as 'woolly bears' feed on natural fibres, fur, skin and dead insects. I can't think why they've turned up in our work canteen - it has vinyl floors and has never contained anything remotely edible!
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Anthrenus verbasci
Anthrenus verbasci
OliVDB5590
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2019 9:36 am

Re: On the windowsill this week . . .

Post by OliVDB5590 »

Oh, I remember these, I ran into these little guys last year when I was accompanying a client who wanted to check out and, in the long term, buy a villa in England from these, it was quite the task to make him understand that bugs were a normal appearance in the countryside and that it didn't mean that the house was bad :lol:
DonSten
Posts: 84
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 9:50 am

Re: On the windowsill this week . . .

Post by DonSten »

Anthrenus verbasci is quite active in the spring and frequently found in buildings after flying in through windows.
They can also indicates a problem elsewhere in a building - beetles emerge from wherever the larvae fed then try to get out of the building. Spilt food by the way can be attractive to Dermestidae if it contains protein.

Best
Don
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