Brought to you by the National Pest Management Association

Spotlight on Other Pests

Varied carpet beetles get their name from the rainbow of color on their back surfaces. These pests enjoy dining on carpets, woolen fabrics, dead insects, furs, hides, feathers, horns, hair, silk and bones. Find additional information on other pests such as dust mites and water fungus in their listed profiles.

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Other Pests

House Dust Mites

House dust mites have received much attention in the early 1990s and again recently. The house dust mite is nearly impossible to see without magnification and is named for the fact that they feed on dead skin shed by humans as well as other protein materials.

Powderpost Beetles

Powderpost beetles lay their eggs in cracks of wood and the larvae tunnel into the surface, filling it with a very fine powder-like dust. Powderpost beetles have long, narrow, flat bodies that allow them to easily attack wood surfaces. These beetles are reddish-brown in color.

Varied Carpet Beetles

Varied carpet beetles get their name from the rainbow of color on their back surfaces.

Water-Conducting Fungi

Water-conducting fungi is a special brown rot that causes widespread wood decay. It has the ability to conduct sufficient water from 30 feet or more away from the original moisture source via its rhizomorphs, dense masses of filaments forming a root-like structure. There are two different species: 1. Poria incrassata is found primarily along the Pacific Coast and in the southeastern United States. 2. Merulius lacrymans (also called the "teardrop fungus") is found primarily in the northeastern states and across Europe.