Drugstore Beetle, Stegobium paniceum
Symptoms: Drugstore beetles will feed on many drugs, including poisonous substances such as belladonna and strychnine. They infest almonds, peanuts, paprika, red pepper, alfalfa meal, cornmeal, flour, milo, wheat, wheat bran, wheat germ, dry dog food, bread, beans, coffee beans, fish meal, spaghetti, instant chocolate, powdered milk, books and manuscripts, dried flowers, and certain fillers and fabric coverings of furniture.Life Cycle: This beetle can live from two to four weeks, and during this time, females can lay 30 to 100 oval, whitish eggs in foodstuffs. The eggs hatch in 7 to 20 days. Larvae reach maturity in 30 to 50 days, then pupate in a silken cocoon covered with bits of the material on which they fed. The pupal period is 8 to 10 days long. The life cycle can be completed in 40 to 50 days under ideal conditions. There are usually one to four generations of drugstore beetles each year. The beetles can fly but usually hitchhike in infested materials distributed by man.
Description: Adult drugstore beetles are reddish brown and about 1/10 inch long. The head is bent downward but does not result in a distinct humpbacked appearance. The wing covers are striated (faint lines running lengthwise). The antennae have three enlarged segments at the tip. Larva are C-shaped grubs about 3/16 inch long when mature. Drugstore beetle larvae are are creamy white with a brown head and legs.
Control: Please contact your local county extension office for current information.
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