Drugstore Beetle
Stegobium paniceum (Linnaeus)
Check your medicine cabinet, spice rack, pantry, bookshelves, and furniture; these pests do not discriminate. The drugstore beetle feeds and lays its eggs in just about all food stored in your home and will even infiltrate your book collections and furniture.
RISK LEVEL:
LOW
MEDIUM
HIGH
Risk is defined as how much damage each pest can be to you, your family, or your home
- Found in grain or flour based food.
- Also found in leather and paper products.
- These pests can be found all over your home, not just in areas with food.
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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. |
Prevention Tips For
Stored Product Pests
Stored Product Pests
- Inspect incoming packages/products to ensure pests are not being brought into home
- Keep food in sealed containers
It only takes a few minutes to start protecting your home today.
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