Drugstore Beetles can cause enormous damage to your food supplies and to your home. Find out more below.
Drugstore beetles, also known as bread beetles (or biscuit beetles, bakery beetles, and spice beetles), are very common Virginia pests. As you can guess from the nicknames, drugstore beetles like to live inside your home - specifically your food.
These guys have been around for a very long time, being recorded as pests as early as 1500BC in Greece. From the Bronze Age of Santorini to today, these bugs have consistently made a name for causing trouble.
What Do Drugstore Beetles Look Like?
Drugstore beetles are really small, only getting up to an 1/8 of an inch big, meaning that they are only about the size of a shoelace tip. They are brown, 6-legged, and have antennae that look a lot like legs. They have an oval body and hardened wings. They can fly in normal household temperatures - above 68 degrees - and move very fast.
Drugstore beetles live an average of 7 months and several generations can occur within a year. They will eat all kinds of things. While they prefer: spices, flour, cornmeal, dry mixes, bread, cookies, crackers, chocolates, candy, and dog food; they will also eat: leather, books, fabric, furniture, hair, wool, and pharmaceuticals. In fact, one unattributed quote says the drugstore beetle will "eat anything but cast iron". No wonder they've survived so long - never a shortage of food for these pests!
How Harmful Are Drugstore Beetles?
Drugstore beetles will not bite you. They will, however, wreak havoc on your food pantries, cupboards, and throughout your home. If not caught, they will multiply and so will the damages.
If you are seeing any of the small brown insects, often mistaken for weevils, or see small holes in your food packaging, you need to act immediately. Females will lay eggs in practically any dry organic substance. Because drugstore beetles eggs are not really visible without magnification, its impossible to see whether your food stores have been infected with pockets of egg or larvae. To be safe, all food that has been potentially contaminated needs to be thrown out.
Other signs of an infestation include musty smells, insect droppings, and powdery residue on your food or food packaging.
How Do I Get Rid of Drugstore Beetles?
Make sure you're inspecting your food stores regularly. Check cupboards often and take a minute to look through flour and cornmeal before using it. Check packaging before purchase for any rips or tears. Store your food in airtight glass or metal containers. Keep your kitchen clean and spills cleaned up.
If you have an infestation, tackle it immediately. Throw out all contaminated food. If the culprits are in your fabrics, furniture or other household items, wash all items and surrounding items thoroughly.
Pesticides are most effective against beetles. Maintaining a professional pest control barrier around your home will keep them out in the first place - always the best plan - but continued use will also eliminate further infestations.
Call us today to help with all your pest control needs.
For even more information on pests we have here in Central Virginia, check out our pest library
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