Bird nest carpet beetle
Anthrenus pimpinellae
The bird nest carpet beetle is a tiny round beetle, only about 3 to 4 millimetres long. Its black wing cases are covered in little white and brown scales that make a pretty pattern. It is a kind of carpet beetle.
Lives in
Europe, North Africa and Asia, and brought to parts of North America
Length
3 to 4 mm (0.12 to 0.16 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless to people. Its larvae can nibble woolly things, so grown-ups do not like them in the cupboard.
What does it eat?
Like other carpet beetles, its larvae nibble dry animal leftovers such as feathers and fur.
How big is it?
How long is it?
💅small enough to sit on your fingernail🍽️could run across a dinner table in 14 seconds
How big is Bird nest carpet beetle compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A garden snail about 0.05 km/h (0.03 mph)
Bird nest carpet beetle about 0.26 km/h (0.16 mph)
A tortoise about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
It is smaller than a grain of rice.
2
Scientists sort carpet beetles like this one into groups by the patterns on their backs.
3
It was carried by people to parts of North America and now lives there too.
you asked
Most asked questions about Bird nest carpet beetle
?Is the bird nest carpet beetle dangerous?
No. It does not bite or sting, but its larvae can damage woolly things.
?How big is the bird nest carpet beetle?
Only about 3 to 4 millimetres long.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Anthrenus pimpinellae
- Group
- Beetles
- Family
- Dermestidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Coleoptera > Dermestidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Africa, Asia, North America
Where the facts come from
- Anthrenus pimpinellae (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Didier Descouens. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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