Red-legged Ham Beetle

Natural Habitat

Typically found in food storage facilities, warehouses, and homes where cured meats, dried fish, or pet foods are kept.

Diet & Feeding

They feed on cured meats (like ham or bacon), dried fish, animal skins, bones, and sometimes pet food. They are also predatory toward fly larvae and other pests.

Behavior Patterns

They are shiny, metallic blue-green beetles known for being active flyers. Their life cycle from egg to adult takes about 30 to 150 days depending on temperature and food availability.

Risks & Benefits

They are a significant stored-product pest that can contaminate and ruin food supplies. On the benefit side, they help decompose animal remains in nature and prey on other pantry pests like fly maggots.

Identified on: 3/16/2026