DERMESTID BEETLE

any member of the approximately 700 species of the widely distributed insect family Dermestidae (order Coleoptera). These important household pests are usually brown or black, although some are brightly coloured or patterned. They vary in shape from elongated to oval, range in size from 1 to 12 mm (up to 1/2 inch), and are covered with either hairs or scales that easily rub off. The wormlike larvae, the only beetle larvae that are covered with hair, feed on furs, skins, feathers, horn, and hair, causing more damage than the adults. The larder beetle larva (Dermestes lardarius) feeds on cheese and dried meats, especially ham and bacon. The adult beetle is oval, black or brown with yellowish bands and dark spots, and 6 to 7.5 mm long. The beetles are usually discovered inside a house when the adult emerges from its pupal stage and is seen around windows trying to get outside to feed on pollen. The red-brown or golden-brown carpet beetle larva (e.g., Anthrenus) is about 5 mm long and very destructive; it attacks fur, furniture, rugs, carpets, and clothing. The oval adults feed on pollen, are usually between 2.2 and 3.5 mm in length, have brightly coloured scales, and resemble ladybird beetles. Anthrenus verbasci and A. musaeorum are two important museum pests; they feed on and have destroyed collections of stuffed mammals, birds, and insects. Museums and private collectors must either have pestproof display shelves or continuously apply pesticides to protect their collections. The larvae of carrion-feeding species are sometimes used in museums and by taxidermists to clean the soft tissue attached to animal skeletons. The khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium), a small beetle native to the Indian subcontinent, is a serious pest in most parts of the world. It is unique among dermestids because the larvae feed on stored grain.