Mid-Missouri Pest Identificaiton: Paper/Fabric Pests

The carpet beetle has an oval shaped body that is black with a pattern of white and orange/red scales. The carpet beetle will feed on a wide variety of plant and animal products such as hair, horns, feathers, silk, fur, rye flour, and wheat. Like their name suggests, the carpet beetle prefers feeding on carpets, clothing, and other textiles. During the summer, adults are typically found outdoors on flowers feeding on pollen and nectar. These paper/fabric pests are commonly brought indoors on cut flowers.

Adult moths are about 6mm in length when their wings are folded and have a brownish color. There are 3 dark spots on their wings that often become faded as the moth ages. Larvae feed on wool clothing, carpets, rugs, felt, taxidermy mounts, fur, hair, feathers and lint. The larvae construct a silk-like case which they will occupy and carry with them. This case is open at both ends and the larvae can feed out of either end.

Oval in shape, the furniture carpet beetle has a black body with a spotted pattern of yellow, white, and black scales. The furniture carpet beetle will feed on the same materials as the common carpet beetle in addition to skins, leather, dead insects, dried blood, dead mice, etc. These paper/fabric pests often breed in abandoned wasp nests, behind baseboards, in animal trophies or rugs, and in dead animals in chimney flues.

The foreign grain beetle has a reddish-brown, flattened body. They feed on plant and animal debris and are attracted to damp and moldy grains. They can also be associated with mold found in bathrooms. Adults are very strong fliers and are attracted to lights at night, entering homes through screens. These beetles are often found in new construction and can remain present until the wood is completely dried out.

The adult Indian meal moth has pale gray wings with a reddish-brown outer half, and it does not cause any damage. Mature larvae are dirty white and wormlike. Larvae feed on grain, dried fruits, seeds, nuts, crackers, chocolate, candies, dog food, bird seed, etc.

This beetle is reddish brown in color and is similar in appearance to the confused flour beetle. The red flour beetle has the ability to fly, but only short distances. Its feeding behavior is identical to that of the confused flour beetle.

The silverfish has a teardrop-shaped, silvery body with three long bristle-like appendages on the tail end of their bodies. Silverfish tend to hide in cracks and crevices during the day and can be found in living rooms, bathrooms, bedrooms, attics, basements, and garages. They prefer moderate temperatures and high humidity. The silverfish feeds on paper products, wallpaper, wallpaper paste, tissue, and proteins like dried beef or other dead or injured silverfish. Silverfish are a common problem in homes with cedar-shake shingles.

The house centipede is a long, flattened arthropod with a grayish yellow body, 3 dark lines running lengthwise down its segmented body, and long, slender legs. They have 15 pairs of legs, with one pair on each segment. House centipedes prefer damp places such as basements, bathrooms, closets, underneath houses, and beneath firewood. They feed on small insects, spiders, and insect larvae, and can bite but are considered harmless to people.