Drugstore Beetle (or Bread Beetle)

Natural Habitat

Found worldwide, primarily in indoor environments such as pantries, kitchens, and pharmacies where stored products are kept.

Diet & Feeding

Broad omnivore focusing on dried plant-based materials: flour, cereal, dry pet food, spices, and occasionally non-food items like leather, books, and pharmaceutical drugs.

Behavior Patterns

Adults are capable of flight and are attracted to light. They undergo complete metamorphosis, with larvae doing the majority of the damage by tunneling through food sources and leaving fine dust (frass).

Risks & Benefits

Considered a major pest of stored products; they can cause significant economic damage to food supplies and museum specimens. They do not bite or sting humans and pose no direct health risk other than food contamination.

Identified on: 4/17/2026