Drugstore Beetle

Drugstore Beetle Diet

Despite being named for their tendency to feed on prescription drugs in pharmacies, the insects are notorious for their willingness to eat anything except cast iron. While they do not favor stored grains, they will attack spices, cereals, pasta, raisins, chocolate seeds, grains, and dried plant material as well as packaging materials such as paper and cardboard. They have also been known to feed on leather, wool, hair, and books.

Drugstore Beetle Habitat

Commonly found in warm climates or heated structures. They customarily infest all types of dry stored food products, spices, seeds, grains, and dried plant material.

Drugstore Beetle Life Cycle

Eggs
Female drugstore beetles lay an average of 75 eggs in her lifetime.

Larvae
The hatching larvae are 0.5 mm long and very mobile. The larval period usually ranges from four to five months, but under favorable conditions, the development from egg to adult may occur in six to eight weeks.

Pupation
When the larvae are fully grown, pupation occurs and they remain in this resting stage for 12 to 18 days. After this time, the insects emerge from their cocoons as sexually mature adults.

Lifespan
On average, adult drugstore beetles live between 13 and 65 days. The precise length of the life cycle depends on the weather and humidity of the surrounding environment.

Drugstore Beetle Damage

The eating habits of the drugstore beetle are the most damaging aspect of the pest. Since so many offspring are produced in a single generation, infestations are capable of contaminating large amounts of stored foods. When the beetles infest commercial warehouses and other storage facilities, they can render products unusable. They are also capable of destroying priceless museum pieces.

Signs of a Drugstore Beetle Infestation

Since the drugstore beetle can fly well, the source of infestation can sometimes be hard to find. Their presence can be detected from pinhead holes in the infested items.