Small with a characteristic pattern of yellow, black and whitish scales on the body, carpet beetles multiply at alarming rates and are perfectly capable of continuous invasions, especially if you have birds' nests in the vicinity of your home or workplace.

Carpet beetle larvae can survive for up to an year, depending on the food supply, while the adult lives from anywhere between seven and 41 days.

They first fly to windows in search of light, and feed on nectar and pollen from light-coloured flowers. After mating, female carpet beetles enter homes or office buildings and lay eggs in birds nests on the roof or along ledges.

Carpet beetle infestations therefore generally originate in the nests of birds such as house-sparrows, house-martins, swifts and starlings. Airing cupboards can also harbour serious infestations. While they can sometimes initiate infestations directly, colonies which are caused by birds' nests keep coming back. The first control, therefore, is the removal of birds' nests from eaves and other places. Dead birds or rodents should be removed immediately, while pieces of old carpet and similar material in lofts or roof voids must be destroyed.

DIY solutions, such as a paradichlorobenzene or napthalene in an air-tight container, can work, but the containers should be tightly closed, and the chemicals should be used in the right amounts. Fully-grown carpet beetle larvae cam be resistant to modern contact insecticides because they are able to crawl long distances despite coming into contact with a lethal dose. Perseverance and patience, therefore, is essential or results will be hard to come by.