Drugstore Beetle

Natural Habitat

Pantropical and temperate regions, primarily found in domestic settings, granaries, and pharmacies where dried organic matter is stored.

Diet & Feeding

Polyphagous; they consume a wide variety of dried plant products including spices, flour, bread, medicinal herbs, and even non-food items like leather or books.

Behavior Patterns

They are strong fliers and are attracted to light. Females lay up to 75 eggs in food sources; the larvae tunnel through the material as they grow, and the lifecycle takes about 2-7 months depending on temperature.

Risks & Benefits

Major stored-product pest causing significant economic damage to food supplies and museum collections; not known to bite humans or transmit diseases but contaminates food supplies.

Identified on: 1/10/2026