The black carpet beetle derives its common name from the black, unadorned color of the adult. Its larva is reddish or golden brown, long and slender, with a characteristic tuft of long hairs at the end of its body. It curls up and "plays 'possum" when disturbed. A glance at [Figure 5] will be sufficient for the identification of this unique carpet-beetle larva.
Fig. 4.—Black carpet beetle: Dorsal view of adult beetle. Greatly enlarged.
Widespread in Europe and Asia, it first attracted attention in America in 1854. Since then it has become widely distributed throughout the United States, often being the most injurious of the carpet beetles, especially in the more southern States. It is the carpet beetle most commonly referred by housewives to the department for identification. It feeds upon household fabrics of wool, feathers, fur, hair, and silk, and also upon cereals and cereal products, seeds, and dried animal remains, hence has many opportunities for existence in warehouses and barns as well as in houses.
The adult.—The adult of the black carpet beetle is small, oval, and black, as shown in [Figure 4]. The adults are present in abundance only during the early summer. In a steam-heated building at Washington, D. C, large numbers of adults were present late in April and during May, but became rather scarce during the first part of June, although single adults were found as late as early in July. The adult flies readily and is often seen crawling on window panes and screens. It is during the adult stage that the black carpet beetle spreads most easily from house to house.
The female beetle lays small, white, fragile eggs upon fabrics, in floor cracks, or in any sheltered spot near its food. The length of life of the parent insect ranges from 3 to 35 days during April, May, and June. Seldom are adults found later than July, except in very warm storage houses.
The egg.—The fragile white eggs are very seldom seen, and hatch in warm weather in about 6 to 10 days.