Carpet Beetle Larvae Worm

Carpet beetles look very very different from bed bugs when they are larger.

Carpet beetle larvae worm.

Bed bug larvae look like little worms while carpet beetle larvae look like fuzzy bugs with little spines all over them. There are currently 3 main species of carpet beetle in north america. For one it looks like a carpet beetle larva with its brown and stripped body and in addition carpet beetle larvae are common household pests and of course one is more likely to find a common pest than an uncommon one. Carpet beetle larvae are capable of surviving long periods without food and are able to move from room to room in search of food sources.

Carpet beetle larvae don t bite but some people do experience carpet beetle dermatitis from physical contact with the hair like bristles of a carpet beetle larvae. As we just mentioned we re dealing with two possible scenarios. Both adult carpet beetles and larvae can infest your home but the larvae do the most damage by eating organic materials like wool leather and silk. Thus we are fairly confident in identifying the larva in the above photo as a carpet beetle larva.

Carpet beetle larvae damage clothing carpets upholstered furniture and more. This is usually shows as a red rash or small red bumps. They also feed on dead insects hides milled products pet food crumbs lint felt and soiled clothing. Let s take a look at what carpet beetle larvae look so we can know what scenario we might be dealing with.

They look like tiny furry caterpillars whereas the bed bug larvae look a lot like the larger versions but just very small.