My experience has found when black carpet beetle larvae or adults are found there has to be a nutritious source of protein on which they are feeding. Most of the time it's a dead pigeon or starling or mouse. I have also found them in large accumulations of dead insects in attics. When the larvae are ready to pupate, they often leave the host and travel some distance. If your facility has a pest management program, make sure no one is using rodent bait. It will result in carcasses in our-of-the-way places on which CB larvae will feed. You should solely be using snap traps and glueboards for your rodent control program.
Could there be a dead rodent in a false ceiling above this area and the larva dropped down from above? Tom Parker -----Original Message----- From: Julia Sybalsky <[email protected]> To: pestlist <[email protected]> Sent: Wed, Aug 22, 2018 5:20 pm Subject: Re: [pestlist] live carpet beetle larva - origin? Hey there, What was in the cabinet previously? What else is in it now? How tightly sealed is it? What is outside and under the cabinet? Any mouse activity in the area? On Aug 22, 2018, at 5:10 PM, Jessica Lian Pace <[email protected]> wrote: Hello everyone, We discovered what appears to be a live black carpet beetle larva on top of a flat, unassembled custom box. The box was received approximately 2 months ago and was stored on the top shelf of a wood cabinet. The shelf is approximately 9' high. There are no proteinaceous materials stored in the cabinet, and no other beetles or cast off skins were discovered during an examination and cleaning of the shelving. We have not had beetles in the past and are wondering where it could have come from - is it possible that it came with one of the boxes as an egg? Should I be concerned about a possible infestation? Regards, Jessica -- Jessica Pace Preventive Conservator Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department NYU Libraries 70 Washington Square South New York, NY 10012 (212) 998-2518 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Museumpests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/CAOAQ567%2B01rOQJBsMpKxjJMWBNDCc4n0s3tiD2_WadPHPFHLRw%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. <IMG_4646.JPG> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Museumpests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/AE20E143-86AB-4EC2-878B-7B92F9F0AFB2%40amnh.org. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Museumpests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/1656393db2b-1ebb-4fc7%40webjas-vad134.srv.aolmail.net. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
