Carpet Moths or Variegated Carpet Beetles whose larvae are known as Wooly Bears. It is the larval stage of carpet bugs that like to eat away at carpets and rugs made of wool.
These insect pests live outdoors in birds nests and on dead animals but they can find their way into a property through open windows, doors or they can come in under the eaves or down the chimney. Once indoors they can breed rapidly with the female carpet moth laying hundreds of eggs in dark out of the way places such as under cupboards or under heavy, immovable furniture. The eggs then turn into larvae that spin silken cocoons around themselves. These larvae resemble grains of rice and it is this stage of the carpet moth that does the damage eating away at carpets and rugs made of natural fibres such as wool. If you have seen moths flying around and have found the larvae of this insect pest, you should inspect all rooms of your property to gauge the size of the infestation and then carry out a full pest control treatment. Please see our category Carpet Moth Control to the right.
