An Ecosystem Under Your Bed

Rebecca and her husband decided to take advantage of the warm weather and rearrange their bedroom to take advantage of open windows and better ventilation. Upon moving the bed, they discovered this:


























As Rebecca described it, she found "whole bunch of little larvae squirming around in the carpet."

Turns out that she, like so many people, has carpet beetles. Many households have them, and most of don't even know it. Their presence isn't a commentary on the cleanliness of your house; they just happened to find you. In fact, once you find them, there's no real chance of getting rid of them.

Photo source: The Backyard Arthropod Project















These creatures are typically found in bird and mammal nests, where they dine on the various bits that are shed by the nest's inhabitants (hair, wool, feathers, skin, exoskeletons of other insects, etc.). And guess what your bedroom is? That's right, a mammal nest. They have adapted to low-water living, so they can live in even synthetic, dry carpeting their whole life. Your foodstuffs are safe from them, since these guys specialize in eating the things more respectable bugs wouldn't touch, but your insect collections, taxidermy, wool products, natural-fiber carpets, and museum specimens aren't.

You're welcome people. When you go to bed tonight, you're going to wonder about every little tickle you feel, and about just what kind of ecosystem has established itself beneath your bed.

Thanks, Rebecca.