
Insects
Carpet beetle
Low risk- What it looks like
- Adults tiny, 3 mm, round and mottled; the larvae, called woolly bears, are hairy, brown and about 5 mm.
- The signs
- Irregular holes in wool carpets, rugs and clothes, often under furniture; small hairy larvae and their shed skins along the skirting.
- The risk
- Damages carpets, clothes and stored wool and silk; no risk to health, though the larval hairs can irritate skin.
- What we do
- A residual spray along the edges and under furniture, the source found (often an old bird nest in the loft), advice on clothes and storage.