The Life Cycle Of A Carpet Moth

The eggs will then hatch into the destructive larvae stage of the life cycle which feeds on carpet clothes and other household goods.

The life cycle of a carpet moth.

The new adult s task is to find a mate. When they start life they look like worms then go through the caterpillar phase and finally get their butterfly like appearance. Once established they can be difficult to eradicate because the larvae can forage widely and may take some years to complete development. There are other species of anthrenus which are similar in appearance and habits.

The most important of these is the guernsey carpet beetle anthrenus sarnicus. It is the larval stage of the beetle s life cycle which causes the most damage. The carpet moth has a very similar life cycle to a clothes moth. Carpet moths beetles although there are several types of carpet beetle the most common is the varied carpet beetle.

The adults do not live long and the mated adult female lays hundreds of eggs in her short life time. Carpet moth life cycle after mating the female will lay her eggs roughly 40 50 over a course of 4 7 days. Between april and october the larvae of the carpet moths develop in animal skins woolen clothes and carpets. Within about half an hour the exoskeleton hardens and the wings become rigid.

The life cycle of the carpet moths is 1 year when the wings are open the size reaches up to 14 18 mm. Each pheromone pad will last approx 4 6 weeks. Its wings and body are still soft so it pumps blood into its newly formed wings. The normal life cycle is one to two years.

The beginning of the clothes moth lifecycle adult female moths can lay 100 400 eggs over their short life and these eggs are tiny typically 0 5mm in length. The eggs hatch from between 4 and 10 days depending on temperature and humidity. The eggs will be laid in the quieter darker and undisturbed areas of carpets and rugs and lay dormant for approximately 4 to 10 days before hatching.