Varied Carpet Beetle Vs Bed Bug

But the main difference is that the varied carpet beetle does not feed on blood. Larvae and adults found in beds dont bite.

Bed Bug Carpet Beetle Or Cockroach

Anthrenus verbasci are small about 3mm in length and flat.

Varied carpet beetle vs bed bug. It can take 249 354 days to three years for varied carpet beetles to grow from an egg to an adult. The official name for the varied carpet beetle is anthrenus verbasci they are small about 3mm in length and flat in their shape. Bed bugs and carpet beetles are both very small.

Instead their paws extend beyond their body and they have a blood sucking proboscis. The first notable difference is that of size as bed bugs are twice as big as carpet beetles. Generally adult carpet bugs have a black or a dark reddish brown color depending on their species.

If you notice bed bug like red spots and discover that you have carpet beetles but not bed bugs then they may be the cause. The good news is that this means carpet beetles dont bite humans. Bed bugs are in the family cimicidae while carpet beetles are in the family dermestids.

The carpet beetle and bed bug not only leave similar looking bites but there are other similarities. However the varied carpet beetle does not feed on blood and get their name from their feast on natural fibers when they are in larval form. Habitat varied carpet beetles are found in homes in attics oriental carpets tapestries and wood based wall to wall carpeting.

One big difference between bed bugs and carpet beetles that can help you determine which pest youre dealing with is that bed bugs go through an incomplete metamorphosis while carpet beetles go through a complete metamorphosis. An important detail when understanding the difference. Also knowing you have a bug problem can cause you to feel like there are things on you even when there arent.

Their length varies typically from 3mm to 5mm and minute hair covers the length of the body. Also once magnified the varied carpet beetle larvae actually look like tiny furry caterpillars with little spines on them whereas the bed bug larvae look like little worms. While carpet beetles dont bite or feed on humans their larvae can irritate the skin.

The varied carpet beetle in many ways does resemble the bed bug. Much like bed bugs they are even oval shaped when looked at from the top down. Bugs are brown dont have elytra or a long thick bristle like carpet beetles do.

They merely consume exfoliated upper layers of skin and hair. Meanwhile carpet beetle larvae measure up to 12mm in length and can be easily distinguished by the presence of hair tufts. However the carpet beetle is the smallest of the two and averages 18th of an inch in length while the bed bug is about 14th of an inch long.

The difference here is that bed bugs have a mouth made for piercing skin and sucking blood while carpet beetles have a mouth made for chewing on plants and other fibrous material. The second difference and the biggest nuisance is the fact that bed bugs feed on human blood while carpet beetles feed on animal fibers.

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