Varied Carpet Beetle - Anthrenus verbasci
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Species Description
Widespread and fairly frequent locally in parts of the South becoming extremely sparse in the North. It is most frequent around Bristol and Cardiff, the South East, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham, Shrewsbury, Liverpool etc. Habitat includes: Houses, gardens, parks, allotments, churchyards, hedgerows, meadows, woodland rides, scrub, wasteland etc. Other names include: Woolly Bears (Larvae). Life story: Adult beetles lay eggs in bird nests but they commonly get into houses and lay eggs under carpets or in cupboards. The larvae take up to three years to develop into adults. Diet: Larvae = dead insects and spiders, natural fibres including carpets and clothing, Adults = pollen from a wide variety of plants including: Ox-eye Daisy, Ground Elder.