Carpets beetle larvae feed on any dry organic matter, such as leather, wool, silk, and fur, as well as hair and other detritus that builds up in carpet and in cracks in hardwood floors. They also occasionally infest stored food products, taxidermy mounts, wool coats, dried flower arrangements, dead insects (such as collect in the wall voids of homes that get infested by overwintering insects like brown marmorated stink bugs), and other products made from dry organic matter. Carpet beetles are present in most homes at low levels that are not cause for concern, although they can sometimes outbreak and become an issue. Carpet beetles do not bite humans..

The best way to control carpet beetles is find what they're feeding on and eliminate it. In a pantry, this would including throwing out infested food products, freezing seemingly uninfested products, and cleaning out the pantry to make sure there are no flour spills. When an infestation is spread more generally through the house, one first step is to to increase vacuuming in the room it was found and nearby rooms to once a day or at least a few times a week in order to eliminate hair and dust the larvae feed on, which also helps by physically removing larvae and adults. You should also search for and freeze or throw out any infested items.

For more information, please see the following resources:

PSU fact sheet