Drugstore Beetle

Natural Habitat

Found worldwide in indoor pantries, kitchens, and warehouses; lives in stored food products and pharmaceutical goods.

Diet & Feeding

Polyphagous; feeds on a wide array of dried plant products including spices, bread, flour, tea, and even non-food items like leather, books, and hair.

Behavior Patterns

They are active flyers and are attracted to light. They deposit eggs in food sources; larvae are C-shaped and tunnel through the food product until pupation.

Risks & Benefits

Primarily a household pest that causes economic loss by contaminating food stores. They do not bite humans or pets, but infested products must be discarded to prevent the spread of the population.

Identified on: 4/17/2026