These scales are broadly oval and two times or less long as broad. The legs have yellow scales. The bottom surface of the body is white. Color patterns vary. A good quality hand lens or microscope is necessary to see these characters.
All carpet beetles pass through the egg, larva, pupa and adult stages.
Adults fly readily and during warm, sunny days feed outdoors on flower pollen of spirea, dogwood, crepe myrtle and buckwheat that have white or cream-colored flowers. Others feed on daisies, wild asters, etc. Adults are attracted by light, fly into homes and may be found on windows and screens. Depending on the species, each female can lay up to 100 white eggs or more that hatch in 8 to 15 days in warm weather. Eggs laid indoors occur in lint accumulations near the food source, in air ducts, under heavy furniture, underneath baseboards, etc.