Females lay 25 to 100 carpet beetle eggs, which hatch into larvae within two weeks. Larvae are about 1/8 of an inch long and are found in groups covered in tiny hairs. Carpet beetle larvae shed their skins frequently and you will find the light brown shed skins in the same places where the larvae are feeding. Look on the underside or deep in the pile of carpets to find the larvae. Fully grown larvae are about ¼-inch long, yellow-brown, covered with bristly hairs, and fairly active.

Larvae are most likely seen on walls, along baseboards, or on counters. The larvae are responsible for damage to household items. They feed on a wide variety of materials including hair, fur, feathers, hides, horns, carcasses, dead insects, cereal, stored grain, nuts, seeds, spices, and flour.

As the larvae tend to wander from room to room, the infestation can spread throughout the house. Carpet beetles can come from abandoned nests of birds, yellow jackets, or wasps, or even from dead animals. As such, serious infestations of carpet beetles can develop undetected in a home, causing significant damage to clothing, bedding, floor coverings, and other articles. Unlike moths, they tend to munch in large clumps, so the damage can end up being quite noticeable. They can ruin your floor coverings, leaving slits and holes in woven materials or shaving the nap off carpets.

Depending on food sources and climate, carpet beetle larvae may take over a year to develop into adults. After the larvae pupate, the adult beetle emerges and, since it is attracted to light, it heads for windows or lights. It can be seen crawling up light-colored walls or flying to light, trying to get outside. The adult beetles do not cause damage.

The best way to tell carpet beetle damage from clothes moth damage is to look for shed skins left behind by carpet beetle larvae.