Drugstore Beetle

Natural Habitat

Found worldwide, typically indoors in pantries, kitchens, or warehouses where dried food or plant matter is stored.

Diet & Feeding

A wide variety of dried plant products including flour, bread, spices (like paprika), breakfast cereals, coffee beans, and even non-food items like leather or book bindings.

Behavior Patterns

Adults are capable of flying and are attracted to light. Females can lay up to 75 eggs on their food source. The larval stage is responsible for the most damage by burrowing into materials.

Risks & Benefits

They are a significant pest of stored products but do not bite or sting humans and are not known to spread diseases. Their presence usually indicates a contaminated food source that should be discarded.

Identified on: 4/11/2026