Drugstore beetle
| Drugstore beetle | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Anobiidae |
| Subfamily: | Anobiinae |
| Genus: |
Stegobium Motschulsky, 1860 |
| Species: | S. paniceum |
| Binomial name | |
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Stegobium paniceum (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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The drugstore beetle (Stegobium paniceum), also known as the bread beetle or biscuit beetle, is a tiny, brown beetle that can be found infesting a wide variety of dried plant products, where it is among the most common non-weevils to be found. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Stegobium.
The drugstore beetle has a worldwide distribution though it is more common in warmer climates. It is similar in appearance to the cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorne), but is slightly larger (adults can be up to 3.5 mm in length). Additionally, drugstore beetles have antennae ending in 3-segmented clubs, while cigarette beetles have serrated antennae (notched like teeth of a saw). The drugstore beetle also has grooves running longitudinally along the elytra, whereas the cigarette beetle is smooth.
The drugstore beetle's larvae are small, white grubs, that can be distinguished from the grubs of the cigarette beetle by their shorter hair. The female can lay up to 75 eggs at once, and the larval period lasts up to several months depending on the food source. It is the larvae that are responsible for most of the damage that this species can cause.
The drugstore beetle lives in obligatory symbiosis with a yeast fungus, which is passed on to the offspring by covering the eggs with it.
As its name suggests, the drugstore beetle has a tendency to feed on pharmacological products, this is from its preference of dried herbs and plant material sometimes used as drugs, e.g. drugstore beetles have been known to feed on strychnine, a highly toxic herbal extract. It can also feed on a diverse range of dried foods and spices, as well as hair, leather, books, and museum specimens. It can bore into furniture and in some cases tin foil or sheets of lead. The drugstore beetle is also known as the biscuit or bread beetle since it can happily live on biscuit or bread crumbs.
The most effective method of ridding a home of this beetle is to try to discover the source of the infestation. Drugstore beetles often enter a home in bulk items like bird seed, grass seed, or dry pet food, where several generations of beetles can develop unnoticed until some of the adults eventually leave to infest new locations. Telltale signs of infested items are shot-like holes puncturing the outside packaging of food items and pockmarking solid items like crackers and pasta, as well as loose powder at the bottom of storage bags. While adult beetles do not feed, they are adept at chewing holes.
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Wikipedia