Varied carpet beetle (adult)

Homes, museums, warehouses, and bird or rodent nests, especially in quiet, dark areas. Adults may visit flowers and windows.

Adults feed mainly on pollen and nectar. Larvae eat keratin-rich materials, including wool, fur, feathers, hair, dead insects, and natural-fiber fabrics.

Adults are rounded and often mottled, though markings may be obscured in dark individuals. Larvae hide and shed bristly skins; infestations develop slowly in undisturbed material.

Larvae can damage clothing, carpets, taxidermy, and stored natural materials; their hairs may irritate sensitive skin. Adults are harmless and can contribute modestly to pollination and decomposition.