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  • Warehouse Beetle Beetles

    Warehouse Beetle
  • Warehouse Beetle
  • Warehouse Beetle
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Elimination

In warehouses, infestations in stored products often start with the beetles feeding on dead insects in storage areas. So it is important to apply good hygiene measures to eliminate sources of infestation. It is also recommended you install a monitoring network of glue and pheromone traps and check the traps regularly.

In residential settings, when a problem with the trogoderms occurs, food must be checked to find the source of the infestation. All food must be placed in airtight containers. In this way, contamination of unaffected foodstuffs is avoided.

It is also recommended to vacuum the pantry cracks and crevices in order to remove food residues and insects that may be present. To avoid a second infestation, the contents of the vacuum must be emptied into the bin, as the multiplication of insects could still continue there.

Finally, if the situation persists, the intervention of our certified technicians remains a safe and effective solution. An intervention implies that the treated surfaces should not be washed for about a month in order to allow the product to work effectively.

Before any intervention, all equipment must be removed from the pantry. Subsequently, it is strongly suggested to place sheets of paper on the shelves before replacing the food in order to prevent the containers from coming into contact with treated surfaces.

Actions

  • Put all food in sealed containers
  • Vacuum pantries and under appliances
  • Request assistance from one of our pest management experts

Prevention

  • Store food in sealed containers

Description and development

Warehouse beetles (Trogoderma variable Ballion ) are holometabolous insects in the dermestid family (Dermestidae ) of the order Coleoptera. The adult is a dark brown, oval insect with a pattern on the elytra and very fine, thin grayish pubescence. The antenna resemble a spindle-shaped club that narrows toward the tip. Adults measure about 3 to 4 mm, whereas the larvae can reach up to 6 mm long. At start of their development, the larvae are whitish but become dark brown at maturity.
The warehouse beetle life cycle can vary considerably in length, depending on conditions. Under favorable temperature and humidity conditions, its entire life cycle, i.e., egg to adult, lasts an average of 43 days.

The female lays 30 to 100 eggs, deposited in food, and the eggs hatch one or two weeks later. Under favorable conditions, the larvae molt about 6 times. Because of their structure and abundance, dermestid hairs can be a source of irritation for sensitive people who come into contact with or ingest them.

Habits

It appears that the ancestors of this species fed on dead insects and other animals. However, over the years they started feeding on plant products as well.

Because of its voracious appetite, the warehouse beetle is now considered to be one of the most harmful stored food pests. It attacks many types of foodstuffs, including broccoli, cantaloupe, and carrot seeds, cake mixes, pasta, cookies, flour, cereal, rice, dried foods, candies, peanuts, and even dry dog food.
Still today, warehouse beetles are found feeding on dead insects and other animals. Larvae have even been observed eating dead warehouse beetle adults. Old rodent bait can also be a food source for these insects.

Unlike other species of dermestids, the warehouse beetle is a good flyer and can easily move about. Specimens have been collected as high as 10.5 m (35 ft.) in the air.

Warehouse beetles are attracted by light and are often found on window sills and skylights. Electric light traps have been found to be very effective as a monitoring tool in warehouses.

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