Fur Beetle (Attengenus pellio)

Also known as the two spot carpet beetle, the fur beetle is an important pest damaging stored products such as furs, skins, textiles, grain and entomological specimens.

Identification:
Adult beetles, 4.5-5mm in length, oval shaped and are shiny black with two white spots on the wing cases. Larvae, known as ‘woolly bears’ are up to 12mm in length brown in colour, they have a banded appearance, with three bunches of golden hairs, arranged in pairs on their last abdominal segment, they avoid light, and when disturbed play dead.

Biology:
The females beetle lays 50 - 100 eggs on larval food, e.g. carpets, bird's nests. The larva are hairy with a tuft of long hairs on the last abdominal segment. The entire life cycle is anything from 6 months to 2 years.

Control:
It is important to trace and remove the source of the infestation. Check the roof spaces for old birds' nests and wool based lagging or other materials, examine the cracks between floorboards around the edges of rooms and under skirting boards for accumulations of debris. Infested birds’ nests and inexpensive materials should be removed and the areas thoroughly vacuumed paying particular attention to cracks and crevices, contents of the vacuum cleaner should be disposed of in an outside bin. Treat the infested areas using a residual insecticide labeled for crawling insect to ensure that all adult beetles and larvae have been killed.

Products to control Fur Beetle: