Sawtoothed Grain Beetle

Natural Habitat

Commonly found in pantries, food storage areas, mills, and warehouses where dried food goods are kept. They thrive in warm, humid conditions.

Diet & Feeding

Omnivorous scavengers, feeding on a wide variety of stored food products including grains, cereals, pasta, dried fruit, nuts, pet food, and even chocolate. They cannot attack whole, undamaged grains but feed on broken kernels and processed foods.

Behavior Patterns

Gregarious, living in large colonies. They are known for rapid reproduction and can quickly infest food sources. Larvae and adults feed on the same materials. Adults are relatively long-lived.

Risks & Benefits

Risks: A major pest of stored food products, causing significant economic damage by contaminating food with their bodies, feces, and silk. They do not bite or sting humans and are not known to transmit diseases. Benefits: No direct benefits to humans or the ecosystem are typically associated with their presence as a stored product pest.

Identified on: 8/16/2025