Attagenus pellio
- Insect with chitinous carapace
- Flying, crawling
- Material pest
The common fur beetle is an important material pest in museums. Its larvae leave great damage to woollen textiles, carpets, furs, pelts and other organic materials through their enormous feeding activity.
Transmission of diseases
- According to current knowledge, fur beetles are not carriers of pathogens.
- They do not pose a danger to humans, but the hairs of beetle larvae can cause skin irritations (allergies). Especially the bristles at the end of the larvae are easily brittle and contain highly irritating substances. Fur beetles are primarily material pests and not disease carriers.
More data
Class: Insects
Size: 3.5 to 6mm
Weight: Variable
Age: 1 month (beetle)
Appearance: Black
Food: Nectar, pollen (beetles); animal protein (larvae)
Distribution: Worldwide,
Original location: Africa
Habitat: Buildings
Natural enemies: None
Threatened with extinction: No
- The common fur beetle is distributed worldwide and occurs in Europe, north to Lapland and Greenland. The beetle is frequently found on the British Isles. As a cultivator, the species is often found in the vicinity of humans, only rarely in the wild in bird nests and muddy ground. The beetles colonise dwellings as early as spring, where the females lay their eggs. Later in the year, the adult beetles are found on the flowers of umbellifers, fruit trees, hawthorns and blackthorns.
- In nature, fur beetles play an important role in destroying mummified animal carcasses with fur. This characteristic, which is very useful in nature, makes fur beetles an important material pest in buildings.
- Fur beetles have adapted to human settlements and live near houses and flats.
- The larvae of fur beetles damage wool textiles, carpets, skins, furs and other organic materials through their feeding activities. Fur beetles can cause a lot of damage, especially in museums.
- Adult beetles are attracted to natural and artificial light sources. On the other hand, their larvae avoid light. In nature, the adult beetle is a visitor to flowers to feed on nectar and pollen. The larvae feed exclusively on protein-containing animal products.
- A typical feature of larval infestations is that they often hide near their feeding places, such as joints and cracks in wooden floors, under carpets or dark corners in cupboards.
- Fur beetles are mainly a material pest, not a food pest. However, since larvae can develop in plant fibre materials and supplies, there is also some risk of grain products and other materials becoming contaminated and unusable. If the beetle occurs in plant products, its larvae mainly feed on the carcasses of other harmful insect species.
- Fur beetle infestations usually occur in woollen textiles that have been lying in drawers and cupboards for many years. In the museum, the beetles can attack and destroy prepared animals, causing great damage.
- Irregularly shaped feeding holes on fabrics and carpets indicate larval infestation. In contrast to infestations with clothes moths, the typical white webbing is missing. Fur hairs from animal preparations fall out in clumps because the larvae first feed on the hair roots. The pest also attacks natural insulating fillings made of wool and hair.
In which area does the pest occur?
The area of application determines which products are recommended to control this pest.
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