Varied Carpet Beetle

This one is doing no harm, looking for pollen on a flower, but the Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci, #871) is not something you want too much in your house. In the natural habitat the adults lay their eggs in birds nests and similar dry places with a supply of suitable food: animal and plant fibres, dead insects, dry druit, etc for the hatched larvae. In the house they can infest carpets, ventilation systems and cupboards storing food or clothes to the point they can do serious damage if not spotted first.