Lesser Mealworm (Darkling Beetle)

Damp environments, poultry houses, grain storage, and decaying plant matter.

Scavengers that feed on spilled grain, poultry feed, animal droppings, and occasionally dead insects.

Nocturnal and highly reproductive in warm, humid conditions; larvae often burrow into insulation to pupate.

Significant pest in agriculture; can transmit diseases like Salmonella and cause structural damage to insulation, but also used as reptile feed.