Varied Carpet Beetles in Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire.
The Varied Carpet Beetle Is Your Home Infested – The Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) is a relatively new pest to the north of the U.K. having been largely confined to the southern parts of the country but now pest control companies in Cheshire, Lancashire and Manchester are increasingly having to deal with this insect pest.
A.Verbasci is a very distinctive, easily identified beetle that can be a serious pest in the household. It feeds on natural fibres and can devour anything of natural origin, i.e. woolen carpets, fabric furniture and clothing made from natural fibres.
The larvae are called a woolly bear, a name it shares with the young of Pyrrharctia isabella or the Isabella Tiger moth.
The Varied Carpet Beetle was the first insect to be identified to have a circadian and an annual cycle and to date remains a classic example of circannual cycles in insects.
The larval form of A. verbasci are about 4-5 mm in length. The body is covered in a pattern of alternating light- and dark-brown stripes. The larvae is usually thicker at the rear than at the front end and has 3 pairs of hair tufts on its rear abdomen that can be used for defending itself
Adult insects range from 1.7 to 3.5 mm in length. Their dorsal surface has scales of two colours, whitish and yellowish-brown. White scales are condensed along the lateral margins of the pronotum. In addition, their antennae are 11-segmented with a club of 3 segments.
A Verbasci or The Varied Carpet Beetle has a very strange life cycle for an insect, developing from larvae to adult in one to three years, depending on the environment in which it finds itself.
Larvae hatch from eggs in the spring, often they are associated with birds nests or around stored natural fabrics Larvae devour natural fibres throughout their larval stage, eventually experiencing a dormancy or diapause before completing pupation and emerging as an adult. A. verbasci adults emerge between April and early August, and feed on pollen.
These insect pests cause both physical damage due to their larvae eating fabrics and psychological trauma from the enormous numbers of these pests which can be found in houses.
When dealing with these insects it is important to check for the presence of birds nests and remove any nests and feathers etc. from the affected area before treating with a suitable insecticide.
It is vital to be aware that in Great Britain legislation affects the removal of birds nests, including sparrows and starlings which are the two common birds which are associated with A.verbasci so professional advice should be sought to avoid contravening the law.
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