Expert: Jack DeAngelis - 11/1/2009

Question
Please tell me what this bug is! Live in Vancouver, Canada and have found many tiny brown caterpillar type 2mm bug along base boards mostly on carpet but some in bathroom and on bed.  I would assume they like dust by where they are usually found.  They are almost worm like by they look kind of furry.  They don't look like the bed bug pictures I've looked at.  They don't move very fast.

Answer
Steven,

This is a good description of a dermestid carpet beetle larva. Dermestid beetles feed on a variety of organic materials including animal-based fabrics and stored foods like cereals and dry pet food. They are common household pests and for the most part are harmless except for the damage to fabrics and stored food. When people had more animal-based fabrics like wool carpets they were more important than they are now. The trick to control is to locate the infestation and either clean it or dispose of it. You probably won't be 100% effective but the idea is to reduce numbers to an acceptable level. There's no need to use insecticides and in fact they would not work very well in this case. Here's an article about these beetles http://www.livingwithbugs.com/carpet_beetle.html with pictures of the adult and larva.

Jack DeAngelis
http://www.livingwithbugs.com