exoskeletons discarded by spiders, or in old

wasp nests, but they can reduce a box of

dry insect specimens to dust and labels in

a few months. On the other hand, other

Dermestidae, in the genus Dermestes, are

deliberately cultivated by museums in rooms

called “dermestaria,” where the flesh-eating

larvae are used to clean the remaining meat

and tissue from bones, leaving perfectly

clean skeletons

above | Apate monachus

(Bostrichidae) This large African

wood-feeding bostrichid is

spreading into Europe; this picture

represents the first from Hungary.

opposite | Anthrenus verbasci

(Dermestidae) Varied Carpet

Beetle larvae are serious pests

in insect collections in Europe

and have been introduced into

North America.

right | Ptinus schlerethi (Ptinidae)

A typical spider beetle, this species

lives in old forest trees. Similar

species scavenge on dry organic

matter in houses.