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- Latin Name: Necrobia rufipes
- Latin Family Name: Cleridae
- Common Name: Red Legged Ham Beetle
- Other Names: Ham beetle
Origin:
Possibly native to northern Africa, as the beetles have been found in Egyptian mummies. The Red-legged Ham Beetle is now found throughout the world.
Biology:
The ham beetles are in a large family of beetles whose species are almost all predators on other insects. However, several species also feed on meat products, such as cured or smoked meats, bacon, cheese, or oil seeds. These species also feed on other insect larvae they may find in these foods. Ham beetles also feed on animal products in processes such as taxidermy, where they may be a nuisance as they feed within antlers or other residual meat materials. Both adults and larvae feed, and the adults have been known to “bite” when handled. Adult
- Latin Name: Sitophilus oryzae
- Latin Family Name: Curculionidae
- Common Name: Rice Weevil
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Its origin is believed to be India, but it now is one of the most important grain destroying pests in the world, and is found worldwide.
Biology:
Rice weevils are an “internal” feeder, obliged to feed as larvae only within whole, unbroken grains, such as wheat, rice, corn, or other seeds. Bird seed in structures sometimes supports these pests, and hard processed products such as pet food nuggets or dry pasta also may suffice. Both adults and larvae feed on these foods, and adults also have been observed feeding on fruit. Adult rice weevils can fly. Adult females live about 5 months, laying up to 400 eggs in that time. She chews a small hole in the kernel or grain and deposits an egg, which she then covers
- Latin Name: Oryzaephilus surinamensis
- Latin Family Name: Silvanidae
- Common Name: Sawtoothed Grain Beetle
- Other Names: Malt beetle
Origin:
Possibly unknown, as this beetle has been found worldwide for many centuries.
Biology:
The tiny grain beetles are members of a family of beetles that often are found under the loose bark of logs, where they are predators on other, smaller arthropods. The grain beetles sometimes are placed into a separate family called the Silvanidae, or “flat grain beetles”. These are all extremely flattened, narrow beetles which are capable of entering packages of food through the smallest of openings. They will feed on the wide range of vegetable-based food products, including rodent baits, but are not capable of attacking whole, unprocessed grains that are in good condition. The insects are relatively
- Latin Name: Cryptophagidae
- Latin Family Name: Cryptophagidae
- Common Name: Silken Fungus Beetles
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Many native species are found in North America, and likely some introduced species are associated with infestations of food products.
Biology:
This is a family of about 150 species in North America. Almost all species are very small adult beetles that are usually associated with fungus of some kind. They may also occur in old bird or rodent nests as well as occasionally infesting foods that are in poor condition. Their presence in a structure may be an indication that an excessive moisture condition is present with growth of molds or decay fungi. They may also be in grain-based foods that have been stored too long or in damp condition, and around 2 dozen species have been identified as pests of stored foods.
- Latin Name: Anthrenus verbasci
- Latin Family Name: Dermestidae
- Common Name: Varied Carpet Beetle
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Not known for certain, as some literature suggests it is of European origin, while others suggest it may be native to North America, given that it is found in natural settings in the U.S. It is now found throughout the world.
Biology:
These small beetles feed on a wide range of animal and plant products, being severe pest problems in stored foods as well as on wool, hides, furs, feathers, or other materials with animal hair origins. They feed commonly on dead insects, and this may be the attraction to structures, where the beetles find leftovers in wasp nests, ant colonies, termite colonies, or bee hives, as well as accumulations in window sills. They are destructive to collections of insects or animals in museums.
- Latin Name: Trogoderma sp.
- Latin Family Name: Dermestidae
- Common Name: Warehouse Beetle
- Other Names: Trogoderma beetle, Cabinet beetle
Origin:
Possibly unknown, as it is worldwide in its occurrence now, and is found widely throughout the United States. A close relative, the Khapra Beetle, originated in India.
Biology:
The warehouse beetle is considered to be one of the most destructive stored food pests in North America, and while it may infest the same kinds of animal byproducts as the carpet beetles do, it is the damage to food products that is most important. It infests the range of products such as grains, meals, cereals, pet food, pastas, dried vegetables, nuts, and spices. Another concern is with human health, as there are documented incidents of severe intestinal pain caused by the ingestion of the hairs from the larvae
- Latin Name: Ptinus fur
- Latin Family Name: Ptinidae
- Common Name: Whitemarked Spider Beetle
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Possibly unknown, as it is now found throughout the world. There are several hundred species of spider beetles, of which at least 24 species are associated with food products.
Biology:
Spider beetles in general are omnivores, and this species is known to feed as a scavenger on many foods such as dried mushrooms, animal feces, feathers, dead insects, dried fruit, grains, etc. It is partial to materials that may be in poor condition, somewhat damp, and moldy, and its presence may indicate an unsanitary condition that should be discovered and removed or cleaned. Damage to books or other non-food items occurs as the larvae bore into them to construct a chamber or cell in which to pupate. Spider beetles derive this name
- Latin Name: Tenebrio molitor
- Latin Family Name: Tenebrionidae
- Common Name: Yellow Mealworm
- Other Names: Mealworm
Origin:
Possibly European in origin, but now found throughout the world. The yellow mealworm is found in the U.S. primarily in the cooler northern states, and a related species, the Dark Mealworm, is found throughout the country.
Biology:
The name of this species is given to the appearance of the larva, which is an elongate, shiny yellow worm. The winter months are usually spent as the larva, with progression to the adult in the spring. Adults live for only 2 or 3 months, with one generation per year. Over a period of several months the female can lay between 275 and 460 eggs, usually in the food material the larvae will eat. The larvae usually take around 600 days to completely develop through their 15 molts, and a
- Latin Name: Apis mellifera scutellata
- Latin Family Name: Apidae
- Common Name: Africanized Honey Bee
- Other Names: Killer bee
Origin:
The AHB originated in Africa and came to the U.S. from South America.
Biology:
There are about 28 subspecies or geographic races of the “honeybee”, Apis mellifera, which originated in Africa and migrated northward into Europe and Asia. This race is possibly the most aggressive of them, but all races can interbreed with one another. The AHB was deliberately imported into South America in 1957, but then moved on its own steadily northward, eventually entering Texas in the early 1990’s. It has since expanded in the U.S. and now is found from southern California to Florida. Workers are extremely defensive of their colony and will rush out by the thousands to attack a perceived intruder.
- Latin Name: Bombus sp.
- Latin Family Name: Apidae
- Common Name: Bumble Bee
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
There are many species of bumble bees that are native to North America.
Biology:
These are social bees that establish small colonies, using many kinds of available cavities. Nests may be in the ground, in hollow logs or trees, in walls or structures, or in other cavities they can find. Nests do not survive the winter months, but instead each colony is begun in the spring by a fertilized, hibernating queen. Colonies grow to a few hundred workers, sometimes more, by the end of the summer. Males and new queens are produced, mating takes place, and the males, the old queen, and all the workers die. The nest consists of wax “honey pots” that are filled with nectar, and adjacent cells that contain the eggs and larvae. The larvae