Varied Carpet Beetle

Indoors in homes, warehouses, and museums; outdoors on pollen-producing flowering plants.

Adults feed on pollen and nectar. Larvae feed on natural animal fibers like wool, silk, feathers, fur, and dead insects.

Often fly toward light sources indoors; undergo complete metamorphosis from egg to larva (scavenger stage) to pupa to adult.

Significant domestic pest that damages textiles and carpets. Larval hairs can cause allergic skin reactions (contact dermatitis) in sensitive individuals.