Bug Identifier
Drugstore Beetle
Community identification

Drugstore Beetle

Stegobium paniceum

Order & Family
Order: Coleoptera; Family: Ptinidae
Size
2.25 mm to 3.5 mm in length
See this bug in the Encyclopedia

Natural Habitat

Worldwide in domestic and commercial kitchens, pantries, bakeries, and warehouses where dry food or organic matter is stored.

Diet & Feeding

Broadly omnivorous, consuming dried grain-based products, spices, flour, dried plant material, books, and leather.

Behavior Patterns

Adults are active fliers and are attracted to light. They exhibit hemimetabolous life cycles where larvae do most of the feeding and damage inside food sources before pupating.

Risks & Benefits

Significant economic pest of stored products. They are not harmful to humans or pets directly through bites or stings, but they contaminate food supplies and can damage historical documents.