Common black carpet beetle

5693   Hello,  I am seeing these insects/bugs since April 2016 at my apartment at Chatham, Ontario. Please help me find what is its name and please let me know if they are harmful and if pest control is required. I have tried checking previously submitted photos on your website several times but I cannot identify this insects. I have laminate floor. Today, I found them lying on the floor (not in some cracks or under the furniture but just in plain sight!) So, I collected them and took a picture. I am terrified. I used to see around 1 of this bug in a day or two but not it looks like the numbers are growing. Please help! and Thank you very much.  Thanks a lot.  Best Regards,  Dhruva

This is a beetle in the family Dermestidae (carpet/hide/skin/larder beetles, etc.). It appears to be in the genus Attagenus, which includes the black carpet beetle, a very common and widespread pest species. See http://tinyurl.com/zl9w25c elsewhere on this site for some control recommendations. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.