Warehouse Beetle

The warehouse beetle is named for being a pest of stored goods in warehouses. The adult is around 1/8″ long, and colored dark brown with lighter colored markings. They can chew through most types of packaging, even when well intact. Warehouse beetle larvae can grow up to twice as long as the adults, and do the most damage. Both adults and larvae eat almost any stored food product, along with dead animals and insects. The larval stage eats a lot more than the adults, and prefer foods of higher protein when available. They are also very active looking for new food, and prefer the dark. The larvae are covered in so many long hairs, they appear fuzzy. These hairs are shed from their bodies, and end up in the food they are infesting. Since the hairs are too small to be sifted out, any food with these beetles should be thrown away as they can cause health problems if eaten.