Drugstore Beetle

Natural Habitat

Found worldwide in temperate and tropical regions. Common in home pantries, bakeries, flour mills, and spice cupboards.

Diet & Feeding

Broadly omnivorous. Larvae feed on a wide variety of dried plant products including flour, bread, spices (like paprika and chili powder), tobacco, and even non-food items like books, leather, and prescription drugs.

Behavior Patterns

The beetle undergoes complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa, adult). Adults are capable of flight and are attracted to light. Females can lay up to 75 eggs. They are often confused with the Cigarette Beetle but are distinguished by three distinct segments at the end of their antennae.

Risks & Benefits

They are a significant pantry pest that ruins stored food products through consumption and contamination with waste. They pose no direct medical risk to humans (non-stinging/non-biting), but consumed infested food can cause gastrointestinal distress in some individuals.

Identified on: 2/13/2026