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Common Carpet Beetle

Anthrenus scrophulariae[4]

The common carpet beetle is a small, oval dermestid beetle whose larvae eat wool, carpets, textiles, fur and other animal products.[1][2][3]

Group
Insect
Order
Coleoptera
Family
Dermestidae
US records
24 states
Sources
4 cited
Updated
2026-10-16
Common carpet beetle with black, white and orange scale pattern
Common carpet beetle with black, white and orange scale pattern. (c) Alexander Petrunin-Suharev, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • Adults are oval and about 2.5 to 3.8 mm long, black with patterns of white scales and orange to red scales along the middle of the wing covers.[1][2]
  • Larvae are brown to reddish brown, covered with dark hairs, and about 2.5 to 5.5 mm long when grown.[1][3]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Varied carpet beetleColorado State lists it as the most common Anthrenus in homes, ahead of the furniture and common carpet beetles.[2]
Furniture carpet beetleAnother Anthrenus species of homes; UF/IFAS notes their larvae are hard to tell apart.[2]

Where it lives

Found worldwide; in the United States it is most common in the North.[1]

US map: public records from 24 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Adults live outdoors on flower pollen and nectar and may lay eggs in animal nests, beehives or on dead animals as well as on indoor textiles.[1][3]

Females lay 30 to 60 eggs that hatch in 10 to 20 days; larvae need about 66 to 70 days to develop.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Larvae damage carpets, wool, textiles, furs and preserved specimens; they don't eat clean synthetic fabrics but will feed on blends or synthetics stained with sweat or urine.[1][3]
  • Adults don't damage fabrics; the larvae do, often in concealed spots along baseboards and in little-used drawers.[3]

Health risk

They do not bite or sting.[1][3]

Control

Sanitation

Dust and vacuum regularly and wash or dry-clean clothes; store woolens and collections in tightly closed containers.[1]

Traps and physical control

Kill larvae in infested items by bagging and freezing them at -20 degrees F for three hours or heating above 105 degrees F for four hours.[1]

Pesticides

Where cleaning can't reach, such as wall voids and ducts, insecticidal dusts or sprays may be needed.[1]

Common questions

Are the tiny patterned beetles on my windowsill eating my clothes?
Adults feed on pollen; their larvae are the ones that eat fabrics.[1][3]

Sources

  1. University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS, Featured Creatures), “Common Carpet Beetle, Anthrenus scrophulariae (EENY-482).” ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN873 (accessed 2026-10-16)
  2. Colorado State University Extension, “Dermestid Beetles (Carpet Beetles) (Fact Sheet 5.593).” extension.colostate.edu/resource/dermestid-beetles-carpet-beetles/ (accessed 2026-10-16)
  3. University of Maryland Extension (Home and Garden Information Center), “Carpet Beetles.” extension.umd.edu/resource/carpet-beetles (accessed 2026-10-16)
  4. iNaturalist, “Anthrenus scrophulariae taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1571453 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-16. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.