Black carpet beetle
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Description
A dark brown or black beetle, Attagenus unicolor. The black carpet beetle larvae is very destructive to proteinaceous materials, such as wool, silk, fur, hair, horn, skin, leather, and feathers. It can also eat cereals, some synthetic fibers, and dried insect specimens. The adult insects are 3 to 5 mm long and have a life span of up to 14 days to 3 years. Females lay about 50 eggs, which hatch in 6-10 days. The larvae have a curved, tapered body and grow up to 8 mm in length. The larval period ranges from about 3 months to nearly 2 years.
Synonyms and Related Terms
carpet beetle; buffalo bug; Attagenus megatoma; Attagenus piceus
Physical and Chemical Properties=
Distribution: U.S., Canada, Mexico
Resources and Citations
- MuseumPests: website Black carpet beetle
- University of Florida, Department of Entomology and Nematology: Black carpet beetle (accessed Dec 2004) gives adult life span as 9 month to 3 years
- Lynda A. Zycherman, J.Richard Schrock, A Guide to Museum Pest Control, FAIC and Association of Systematics Collections, Washington DC, 1988 Comment: Adult life span = 14 to 43 days
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998
- Website: http://entowww.tamu.edu/images/insects/fieldguide/bimg154.html - Attagenus megatoma
- Wikipedia: Black carpet beetle Accessed Nov 2025