Larder Beetle

Natural Habitat

Found indoors in pantries and kitchens, and outdoors in nests or on carrion. Common throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

Diet & Feeding

Scavengers of high-protein animal products, including dried meats, cheese, pet food, animal skins, feathers, and dead insects.

Behavior Patterns

Adults are identifiable by the pale yellow band across their elytra (wing covers) with six dark spots. Larvae are reddish-brown, hairy, and can bore into soft wood or plaster to pupate.

Risks & Benefits

Primarily a household pest that spoils dried food supplies. They do not bite or transmit disease, but their presence can cause minor damage to structures when larvae pupate. They benefit the ecosystem as decomposers by breaking down organic remains.

Identified on: 4/14/2026