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| Class: | Order: | Family: | |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Anobiidae | |
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| Size: | Drugstore beetle adult is 1/16-1/8 in (2-3.5 mm) long. Mature larva is about the same length. |
| Color: | Adult drugstore beetle is reddish brown to brown. Mature larva is white |
| Characteristics: | Antennae has club of 3 elongated and broadened segments; pits on wing covers are in long rows; head and thorax are bent downward, so that the head is not very visible from above, giving a strongly humped appearance. Mature larva is C-shaped, with many short hairs and well-developed legs with 4 segments. |
| Geographic Range: | Drugstore beetles are found all around the world. |
| Food: | Household food, such as bread, flour, and breakfast foods; spices, such as red pepper; drugs; hair; museum specimens; leather; books and manuscripts. |
| Biology: | The female drugstore beetle lays oval, whitish eggs in food materials. The eggs hatch in a few days, then go through 4-6 stages during the next 4-5 months. The full-grown larva pupates for about 12-18 days in a silk cocoon with some particles of food woven into it. The complete life cycle usually takes about 7 months. There are 1-4 generations per year, depending upon temperature. |
