What Is A Drugstore Beetle?

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What Is A Drugstore Beetle?

Variously known as the drugstore beetle, biscuit beetle and the bread beetle, this stored product pest is one of the most common non-weevils in the world. The drugstore beetle can be found around the globe, though it is slightly more common in warmer climates. Sometimes confused for cigarette beetles, drugstore beetles are slightly larger and produce grubs that have shorter hair than that of the cigarette beetle. Mostly considered a serious pest of agricultural grain storage, drugstore beetles can be found on farms and nurseries as well as in businesses and homes. 

What Do Drugstore Beetles Look Like?

Drugstore beetles are oval in shape and reddish-brown in color. Their bodies appear to be humped and are carpeted in dense, short, yellowish hairs. They have antennae that are capped by 3-segmented clubs. The drugstore beetle is also characterized by grooves which run length-wise along their hardened forewings, or elytra.

Drugstore Beetle Behavior

Drugstore beetles are a pest of cereal products (flour, bread, wheat, etc.), hence the alternate monikers of biscuit or bread beetle as they are often found living on biscuit or bread crumbs. The drugstore beetle is truly an indiscriminate eater, however, and will feed on a large range of items including pharmacological products, dried herbs and other plant material. Drugstore beetles have, in fact, been known to eat strychnine, a highly poisonous substance. 

Signs of a Drugstore Beetle Infestation

Often, the first indicator that you might have a drugstore beetle infestation is spotting adult beetles flying around your kitchen or resting on surfaces. Drugstore beetles do not just eat dried packaged goods, they also lay their eggs on a food source so that newly hatched larvae have immediate access to food. You may notice holes in dried food packaging where larval beetles have emerged. Drugstore beetles at the larval stage are white, crescent-shaped and grub like. 

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