varied carpet beetle

Description:

One of the relatively common household pests that sometimes puzzles PMPs is the varied carpet beetle, Anthrenus verbasci. The 3 mm-long adult is easy enough to recognize under magnification with its colorful zig-zag banding of white, black and orange scales. The larvae are less commonly seen, but equally distinctive. Cigar-shaped and hairy, they are often described by PMPs as banded, but close inspection reveals the banding to be the result of the darker colored dorsal plates contrasting with the lighter base color of the insect's body. Varied carpet beetles might be better named the "adaptable carpet beetle" due to their catholic tastes in food. They differ in their eating habits from other beetles in the family Dermestidae, which normally require animal-derived proteins in their diet to survive and reproduce. Examples of such other dermestid beetles include the black carpet beetle, the hide beetles, and the warehouse beetles. The preferred foods of most dermestids include natural furs, feathers, wool, silk, dried milk and meats, taxidermy mounts and hides, dog food (with meat ingredients), dead insects, etc. The varied carpet beetle readily feeds on these items, but can also subsist on a plant-based diet, such as drugs, spices, flour, nuts, wheat, corn, cereals and seeds ( http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/201... )

Habitat:

-------Food =wide variety of materials of animal origin (wool, fur, skins...); stored food materials and products (biscuits, cakes, seeds, wheat, maize, oats, rice, cayenne pepper, cacao, and dried cheese); adults feed on pollen --------Remarks =The most abundant species in buildings; arguably, world's most important pest of insect collections. Adults from indoor populations have a negative attraction to light, but near the end of their oviposition period they become attracted to light. Adults from outdoor populations show attraction to light. Adults are active fliers and often fly high above the ground. They enter houses through open windows, around eaves, soffits, and attic vents, and often lay eggs in the dead insects collecting in light fixtures. --Sometimes confused with A. flavipes -------Habitat =Primarily a household pest on plant (dried fruits/nuts) and animal materials; regularly encountered in dried-milk factories, occasionally in flour mills and warehouses; outdoors, in bird nests and wasp nests in attics, and under siding; also in bat roosts. In late spring and early summer, adults are found outdoors on various flowering plants, esp. Spiraea ( http://bugguide.net/node/view/95010 )

Notes:

Adult A. verbasci range from 1.7 to 3.5 mm (0.07 to 0.14 in) in length. Their dorsal surface has scales of two colours, whitish and yellowish-brown. White scales are condensed along the lateral margins of the pronotum. In addition, their antennae are 11-segmented with a club of 3 segments (wikipedia)------ the last months, since i previously posted ( http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/768... ) the larvae of this beetle, i found 2 other specimen, i collected them, put them in a container with few different food-sources and waited. Sometimes i looked, if all are well (1 is dried out or eaten by the others, found only something, which looked like empty skin) and today i noticed: 1 of the remaining 2, are hatch allready. The other specimen, still in larvae-stage, is (when i recognize him well) the exact same larvae i posted before. [i dont want to let them loose in my appartement, but also don't set them out now, they should be fine , with few weeks- free food and shelter, until the weather is a little bit nicer.]