Why should I be concerned about Beetles? Beetles are found to feed on a variety of different things that will render it contaminated. Items such as breakfast cereals, grain dust, sugar, flour, dried fruits, food products, spices and drugs. If a Beetle is spotted near any of these products, its imperative that you throw it away. Another beetle to be concerned about is the The Drug Store Beetle which is considered a pantry pest, but can also spread human tapeworms. They are an intermediate host, and contaminated corn meal and flour, which is undercooked, can then spread the tapeworms to humans. How do we fix your beetle problem? Beetle control can be successfully achieved with a coordinated program that includes sanitation, mechanical control and insecticide application. The Cigarette Beetle is similar to the Drug Store Beetle-it has a short body with a large shield covering the head. Their length is only about 1/16th inch. Some people incorrectly refer to them as “weevils” as they infest dried food products. They may also burrow into books when they are still in larvae form, and occasionally get into upholstery. The Drug Store Beetle has a large shield that protects its head, and a small body, usually less than ¼ inch in total length. It infests dried food products, and is often incorrectly referred to as a “weevil.” The larvae may also burrow into paper products, especially books. Occasionally they are found in upholstery. The Drug Store Beetle is considered a pantry pest, but can also spread human tapeworms. They are an intermediate host, and contaminated corn meal and flour, which is undercooked, can then spread the tapeworms to humans. CONFUSED FLOUR BEETLEFlour beetles are reddish-brown, slender and about 1/8 inch long. The adults do not feed on whole grains, but are found to feed on grain dust, flour, dried fruits, spices and drugs. The females are capable of producing 400-500 eggs in her lifetime. The Grain Weevil is a very small beetle, about 1/16th of an inch for the body length. The head is elongated into a snout. Grain Weevil larvae are small pale grubs without any legs. Grain Weevils infest food products, especially dry organic materials found in the pantry. They commonly get into breakfast cereals. While they do not consume large amounts of the food material, their presence is enough to eliminate usage of the contaminated product. SAWTOOTHED GRAIN BEETLESawtoothed Grain Beetle adults are very small and slender, usually under 1/8th inch, dark brown, with saw-like teeth on the prothorax. They feed on flour, bread, breakfast cereals, macaroni, and sugar, just about any dried food products, but any grain kernels have to have been already damaged by other pests. The larvae feed on the same material as the adults, and are pale colored. While they don’t consume much, their presence alone is enough to consider the products they infest unusable. The female can lay as many as 285 eggs during a 5-month period. Depending upon temperature, they hatch in 3-17 days. The larvae will go through about three molts, creating a pupal cell or cocoon. Adults can live from a few days to a few years, with the whole cycle complete in 27-375 days.