Drugstore Beetle

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Drugstore Beetle

      1. Drugstore Beetle

      General Description

      ·  The adult is small in size, no more than 3 mm in length. It is reddish-brown in color and covered with short yellow hairs.

      ·  The larva is white in color and reaches a length of 5 mm when fully grown. On its arched body, there are short, translucent bristles.

       

      Credit: Siga

       

      Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

      • The female lays eggs individually in cracks in the surrounding products.
      • The time required for the transition from the egg to the full insect varies greatly depending on the prevailing temperature. In warm weather conditions, the development of the stages takes place within one month, while in cold weather it takes a whole year.

       

      Damage and Economic Implications

      • It feeds on many food products (food products such as bread, flour, spices, leather products, books, and carton packages). It may pierce sheets made of tin and lead, and is characterized by digging in a straight line in those materials.
      • The larva is the only feeding stage and can survive several weeks without feeding.
        • The insect has the ability to infest toxic substances such as poisoned pills and medicines.
      • Some specialists call this pest “the pest that eats everything but iron.”