It is entirely likely that you share your dwelling with some generally innocuous beetles that subsist in corners on dried crumbs, cat hair, or other dried organic materials. But, it can sometimes happen that these beetles reach numbers that can threaten wool carpets or fur coats....or worse still, these insects may consume your insect collection. This episode discusses these fellow travelers.
The episode art pictures a varied carpet beetle, one of many species in the family Dermestidae that we discuss today. The photograph was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by user Didier Descouens.