The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-03-20
A Carpet Beetle.

There came to my study. just about the
middle OF February, an interesting insect
visitor, whose history and character many
have inquired about. | had before, pas
sing acquaintance with some members of
his family, had also read descriptions of
himself. so a. he made his ~ pearance L
was ready to great him by name and salut-
ed him, AHthrelitS ScrOpUluriG. As he
had made this early call without invitation,
| felt at liberty to detain him for more
intimate acquaintance. and this in spite Of
his high title, noted relationship, and EVIL
dent haste TO he gone
He had wings to fly. bat he preferred
usually to walk, so induced him to walk
over the scale of pocket rule and as he
paused for moment l found he was
plump eighth Of an inch in length | turned
him on his back, His outline was broadly
elliptcal. His color underneath was anteri-
orally silvery; posteriorally chestnutbrown
His six legs with which he beat the air when
on his back he could use to good purpose
when in his natural position. By means of
two sharp claws at the end OF each foot he
could mount any object into which he could
strike his nails; but these nails failed him
when he tried to climb smooth surface
like glass He has two stout autenna or
teelers. something between u dumb-bell
and an Indian club in shape, His mouth
arts are very movable and perhaps useful
in assisting him to make his way through
anything that may be traversed by pushing
slong.
place him in paper box. He crawls
up the side and rests upon the edge. | am
wondering why he does not make good use
OF his wings and fly away. My attention is
taken mp for "a moment with something else.
and while | am turned away | have a
glimpse of something that fits past, and
looking back to the boX.my beetle visitor is
4 ia
IN which he has flown reveals him on the
sash Of the window. five feet away.
Putting him back into safer quarters, i go
over him again this time, his upper parts
His small head is seal brown in color. On
each shoulder he bears a patch of silvery
scales sprinkled over with ruby, something
like epaulets or a short cape with silvery
decorations at the corners, while the space
between is filled with a patch of warm
brown. The outer shield wings, or hard
elytra, covering the rest of the upper part
of his plump body, are beautifully varlegat-
ed with patches and irregular lines OF silver
and ruby upon general ground OF black.
The second pair of wings are gauzy and
usually tucked out Of sight, but when ready
for flying they extend quite beyond the
shield wings. The shield wings have their
color from the curiously colored scales
which cover them as well as the body Of
the beetle.
meet on the back is hordered with red, the
two together appearing like single line
which broadens at the tips. This line also be-
comes brOadened at two or three places and
these projections of re / are met by irregu-
lar or broken lines of white, so that the
wing-cOvers have Unanswered y-banded APP
pearance. 1t is altogether pretty insect
with its central line of red and its bars of
white.
This little beetle.which seems SO domestic
and harmless, has, in its immature form
created something like CONSERVATION
among housekeepers. OF it We know both
too much and too little-to much that we
know it at all, too little since We are 80 ig-
nOrant of its ways, aud especially ignorant
of means by which its ravsges may be pre-
vented.
For much of what we know regarding
this beetle we are indebted 10 Prof. j. A
Lintner, the distinguished entomolOgist OF
the New York State Museum of Natural
History at Albany, and from his published
articles and communicated writings the
following statements regarding the life
history and habits are chiefly drawn.
This insect has the four stages of existence
which the higher forms enjoy. 1t appears
first as an egg, then a larva, then "a pupa
then finally the perfect insect with wings
The eggs of the beetle are probably mos
abundantly laid in May and June. These
hatch and become the destructive larvae. L
liz in this stage it does all the injury it can
int1ict. Feeding mostly on woOlens, il in
creases in size, casting its skin from tim,
to time. These casts will often be tn,
means of discovering the culprit.
A favorte resort of the Larvae is alone
the borders of the carpet in close proximit,
TO the walls of the room, keeping open Il
the same time line of retreat to which the,
may quickly glide in case of danger. Thes
places of retreat will he chiefly the space
he no l. Of "a n,
the crevices left in the floor Jennings. Thes
crevlces they frequently follow in thei
feeding, and Instances are related wher
the carpets directly above have been eatel
through in straight line for a yard or tw
almost as if scissors had been used for tn
purpose
But the Larvae do not conhne themselve
to floors and carpets, Bureaus and closet
where woOlens and furs are stored are liza
BILE to be infested. They will be found es
pecislly in attics and upper rooms, as we
as in all sorts of queer and out-of-the-wa
places. My own specimen of larva cam
from drawer III a secretary, in a platinum
evaporated dish whose sides were too stee
for the insect TO crawl up, and when one
ln,also steep enough to etfectually impriso
the intruder How the fellow managed I
get himself into this trap no one can tell.
The larva has an appearance which ha
suggested for 1t the name buffalo mott
some resemblance being traced between
with its broad hairy front aud the buffal
But in fact it is no moth at all, and shout
not be so misnamed. At the time the lary
has come to full growth it measures abol
three-slIteenths of an inch in length.
number of hairs radiate from its last sel
ment IN nearly semi-circle, but are MOI
thickly clustered in line with the bod
forming II tail-like projection almost
long as the body. The entire length of IL
insect.including the pencil Of hairs, Is in IL
an inch. The front part of the body, whiC
shows no distinct head, is thickly set wit
short brown hairs and few longer one
Similar hairs clothe the body somewh
longer on the sides where they tend to for
small tufts Towards the hinder end ma