Bug Identifier
Drugstore Beetle
Community identification

Drugstore Beetle

Stegobium paniceum

Order & Family
Order: Coleoptera, Family: Ptinidae
Size
2.25 to 3.5 mm
See this bug in the Encyclopedia

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.