*4.6.16 Black carpet beetle (*Attagenus unicolor *(Brahm, 1791) Coleoptera: Dermestidae)*

*Distribution*: The Black carpet beetle is cosmopolitan in distribution. *Host range*: Larva of this pest is a voracious feeder and it mainly feeds on natural fibers, or furniture or carpets, or even clothes.

*Bionomics*: The black carpet beetle is small, with its head and thorax black colored, and wings either black or reddish-brown or golden brown, clothed with short hairs. Legs and antennae are yellowish in color. Mostly egg-laying occurs on a food source or sometimes females lay eggs in dark undisturbed areas where the larva starts feeding on carpets or clothes. Almost 5–20 days are taken by the eggs to hatch depending on external conditions like humidity, temperature. The larva is mostly 1 mm long when they hatch from the eggs they will grow faster if food sources are abundant. Almost 10–15 molting a larva is usually taken by the larva to undergo molting. The larval phase is the longest phase and then the larva converts into a pupa. Initially, the pupa is creamy colors but they quickly then turn first yellow and then dark in color. Within 8–20 days the pupa transforms into adult beetles. Adult lives only to mate and then lay eggs and finally die. Since in the end, they are black colored that's why they are commonly called black carpet beetle.

*Damage symptoms*: It is one of the serious pests of grains. Its larval stage is highly damaging, as they are voracious feeders and their presence is the indication of an infestation.
