AROUND HOME : Notes on Hooked Rugs, Architectural Ornaments and New Books : The Wool Eaters

THERE ON THE wall is a sooty black, oval lump, about 3/16 inch across, with several light bands on its back. Most of us would not even notice it, much less recognize it for what it is. This is unfortunate, because this lump can devour an entire wardrobe.

Most people assume that holes in good woolen clothes are produced by moths. But just as likely, the demon is a carpet beetle--also known as a dermestid by entomologists.

It is the dermestid’s tiny black larvae that do the destruction. Their primary task in life is to eat and grow. The adults, active in late spring through early summer, lay their eggs near or on safe food supplies in hard-to-reach places such as cracks in the floor, in carpet pile, inside pianos (a classic favorite), under pet blankets, in the crevices of leather-upholstered furniture. But for the ultimate in dining pleasure, dermestid head for the clothes closet. What more could a dermestid ask than a wool shirt or a mink coat? After feeding for a year or more, the larvae pupate and emerge as adult to obey the universal rule of nature: Go forth and multiply.

Store woolens and furs in air-tight containers, preferably well-protected with moth crystals. If dermestid turn up in some prized item, kill them by putting the item in the freezer for a few days, or in the oven at 135 degrees Fahrenheit for six hours, making sure that it’s 135 degrees in the center of the mass. Aside from that, keep a clean house.