Varied Carpet Beetle

Indoor environments like homes, warehouses, and museums; outdoors in bird nests or on flowers.

Larvae scavenge on natural fibers (wool, silk, fur, feathers), dried food, and dead insects; adults feed on pollen and nectar.

Adults are attracted to light and often found near windows; larvae are 'wool-eaters' that avoid light and can live for several hundred days.

Significant pest that damages household textiles and stored goods; larval hairs can cause skin irritation or allergic reactions in some humans.