Red-legged Ham Beetle

Typically found in food storage facilities, warehouses, and homes where dried meats, cheeses, or proteins are stored.

Feeds primarily on dried proteins such as smoked meats, ham, cured fish, and cheese. They can also be predatory, eating the larvae of other insects.

They are active fliers and strong crawlers. Adults and larvae both feed on the same food sources. They undergo complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa, adult) and prefer warm, humid environments.

Primarily a nuisance pest that contaminates stored food supplies. Risk involves economic loss through food spoilage rather than direct physical harm to humans. They play a role in the ecosystem as decomposers and occasional predators of other pests.