Single eggs are laid by adult female bed bugs, one to 12 times a day, sometimes at the same locations where older bed bugs are identified. In addition, these bed bug proportions can be followed by traces of their faecal matter, reddish-black in colour. Crevices or other close spaces are popular sites. As bed bugs are preferential to wood and fabrics over plastic and metal, check pillow buttons and sides, box springs, and bed frameworks.
Adult female bed bugs prefer to lay eggs in areas away from the primary egg-laying areas so, if the infestation is not treated immediately it makes difficult to locate these bed bug egg deposits.
They are known as bed bug larvae after the bed bugs hatch. The bed bug larvae are indeed smaller, than adult bed bugs. They seem like tiny pepper grains and by looking at them under a microscope, you can only see the eggs or other body parts.
In fact, bed bug larvae go through five development stages. They are very small in each stage, and look like a miniature version of their grown-up one. When they have a blood meal to grow and reach the next stage of growth, they often change colour, becoming darker. Bed bug larvae bite and eat, so if you have bed bug bites, but there are no traces of adult bed bugs, you might have bed bug larvae that turn into adults and become a complete infestation.
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| Carpet beetle larvae |
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| Bed bug larvae |
Carpet beetles, as their name suggests, infest carpets occasionally. The pests also feed on many other things made up of fur, wool, felt, fabric, feathers, hides, and leather (similar to clothes moth). These materials contain keratin, a fibrous animal protein capable of being digested by the larvae. Unless mixed with wool or heavily soiled with food stains or body oils, cotton and synthetic fabrics such as polyester and rayon are rarely affected. Carpet beetle infestations may grow completely unnoticed, causing harm to sensitive objects.
In homes, carpet beetles are prevalent, and their destruction is frequently mistaken for that of clothing moth. (See University of Kentucky Entomology Entfact-609 for more detail about clothing moths.) The adults are small (1/16 to 1/8-inch), oval-shaped larvae ranging from black to white, brown, yellow, and orange in different 'mottled' patterns. Flower pollen is the main food source of adult carpet beetles. They sometimes appear on window ledges in early spring, meaning an infestation could be present within the house. Around 50-100 eggs are laid on or near brittle materials by female beetles. While some breeding sites may be visible (e.g., a wool rug kept in a closet), others may be discreet, such as hair accumulations connected to baseboards, air vents, and ducts.
The tiny eggs laid by adult beetles hatch into tissue-consuming larvae in the next few weeks. Larvae are about 1/8 to 1/4-inch long, sluggish-moving, grayish-brown in color, and thickly coated with hair or bristles. The larvae that grow also leave behind shed (molten) skins. They often leave threadbare spots and irregular holes as they graze along the surface of fragile materials.
Carpet beetle larvae, as mentioned previously, feed on animal-based materials, especially wool, felt, fur, silk, feathers, and leather. Sweaters, scarves, hats, sheets, pillows, bedsheets and pillowcases, upholstery, toys, decorative objects, and mounts of taxidermy are commonly targeted objects. The larvae also feed in cabinets, shelves, and boxes inside fabric folds (hems, collars, cuffs, etc.) where objects are kept for extended periods. Regularly used garments and blankets are seldom attacked and same is the case with regularly vacuumed rugs. Rugs and carpet edges and undersides are more likely to be infested than areas out in the open.
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