LARDER BEETLES
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LARDER BEETLES EXPERTS
The larder beetle is 6 to 9 mm long. It is a dark brown or black beetle whose elytra are crossed by a broad band of small lighter hairs, of yellowish, grayish or whitish tint. This band is marked towards the center with six black dots (three on each elytron) of variable size and shape. Other black spots are located near the pronotum, the part of the thorax that hides the head of the insect. The head has two short club-like antennae. Two pairs of wings are attached to the thorax. Under the elytra are two functional wings that unfold when the insect takes flight. The male and the female are similar.
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ALL ABOUT LARDER BEETLES
How to get rid of larder beetle?
Getting rid of the larder beetle (Dermestes lardarius) may require a multi-pronged approach, including cleaning, chemical treatment and prevention. Here are some steps you can take:
- Cleaning: Start with a thorough cleaning of all areas where you have observed the insects or their larvae. Larder beetles are attracted to animal products, including meat, hides, feathers and hair. Be sure to clean up any leftover food and check hard-to-reach areas, such as under refrigerators or pans.
- Eliminate food sources: Eliminate all potential sources of food for the beetles. This can include pet food, wool skins or rugs, feathers and even dead insects.
- Chemical treatment: You can use insecticides, but make sure they are safe to use in your home and are effective against larder beetles. It may be best to hire a professional to do this, as they will be able to identify and treat any areas where the lice may be hiding.
- Prevention: To prevent future infestation, keep your home clean and avoid storing unprotected animal products. Make sure all food items are properly packaged and stored in airtight containers.
- Monitoring: After treatment, continue to monitor your home for signs of a new infestation. Pheromone traps can be used to attract and capture adult larder beetles.
Remember that in cases of severe infestation, it is best to call in a exterminator professional.
Does the larder beetle fly?
Yes, the larder beetle (Dermestes lardarius) is able to fly. Adults of this species have wings and are attracted to light, which can lead them to enter homes. However, they generally prefer to stay close to their food sources and do not fly as actively as some other insects.
Where to find larder beetles?
Larder beetles (Dermestes lardarius) can be found in a variety of locations depending on their life stage and food source.
- Food: They are generally attracted to animal products, such as meat, bacon, and cheese, and may also feed on dry products such as cereals, dry bread or seeds. They can therefore end up in pantries or kitchen cupboards.
- Carcasses: Larder beetles are often used in the field of taxidermy or entomology to clean animal carcasses. They can also be found in places where there are remains of dead animals.
- House: Adults are attracted to light, so they can enter houses through open windows or cracks.
- Animal nests: Listeria can also infest bird or rodent nests.
Remember that the presence of larder beetles may indicate a hygiene problem and that it is important to store food properly to avoid infestation.
What attracts larder beetles?
Larder beetles (Dermestes lardarius) are attracted to various substances, mainly those of animal origin. Here are some things that attract larder beetles:
- Food: Larder beetles feed on animal products. This includes meat, bacon, and cheese, but also dry products such as dry bread or seeds. They may therefore be attracted to poorly protected food supplies.
- Carcasses: Larder beetles are known for their usefulness in taxidermy and entomology, where they are used to clean animal carcasses. As a result, they are attracted to dead animals and can infest areas where these remains are present.
- Light: Adults are attracted to light and can enter homes through open windows or cracks.
- Animal nests: Larder beetles may also be attracted to bird or rodent nests, where they feed on food scraps and feces.
It is important to note that the presence of larder beetles in your home may indicate a hygiene problem. Be sure to store your food properly and clean regularly to avoid infestation.
How do you know if they are larder beetles?
Identifying larder beetles (Dermestes lardarius) may require some attention, as these insects are relatively small. Here are some clues to help you identify them:
- Adult appearance: Adult larder beetles are about 7 to 9 millimetres long. They have an elongated body and dark colour, usually black or very dark brown. Their thorax is covered with yellowish hairs and they have a pair of antennas clearly visible.
- Larvae: Larvae of larder beetles are generally easier to spot than adults because they are often present in large numbers. They are brownish in colour and measure up to 18 mm long when fully developed. They have a body covered with hair and a pair of small horns at the end of the abdomen.
- Damage: Larder beetles are decomposers and feed on organic matter including dried meat, cheese, and even dead animals. If you find stored food that has been nibbled, or animal carcasses that appear to have been eaten by small insects, you may be dealing with larder beetles.
- Cocoons: Larder beetle larvae pupate in cocoons, which can often be found near food or living areas. These cocoons are of light brown colour and oval shape.
If you suspect that you have larder beetles in your home, it is recommended that you call a professional to confirm identification and treat the infestation.
| Name | LARDER BEETLE |
|---|---|
| Class | Insects |
| French name | Dermestres du lard |
| Latin name | Dermestes lardarius |
| Length | 6 to 9 mm |
| Colour | brown or black, yellowish band |
| Life | 2 to 3 months |
LIFE CYCLE
The timing and duration of the different stages of development of the larder beetle vary greatly depending on the conditions of the environment in which it lives. Inside buildings, under ideal conditions, the insect can go from egg to adult in as little as 40 days, with five or six generations per year. There is more often only one.
Outside or in unheated buildings, larder beetles overwinter as adults, hiding in a shelter. In spring or early summer, they come out to mate. It is at this time of the year that they enter the houses to find a favorable site of laying. In order to produce eggs, the female must first feed on protein-rich food. She then lays between 100 and 200 banana-shaped eggs, in small groups of 6 to 8. She places them directly on the food for the larvae or near a food source.
Incubation lasts 12 days or less. The larva that emerges from the egg begins to eat and soon takes on its characteristic appearance: a body 11 to 13 mm long, similar to that of a tiny brown caterpillar, covered with long hairs and bearing two very small spines curved backwards at the end of the abdomen. The larva undergoes a variable number of molts (about four to ten), the female tending to molt once more than the male.
Once the larva has reached its full development, it is ready to transform into a pupa. The larder beetle, like other beetles, is an insect with complete metamorphosis, or holometabola. The pupal stage, during which the insect is immobile, makes it vulnerable to predation. To protect itself, the larva burrows into the food source (ham, for example) or leaves it to find a safe place to continue its development.
Most of the time, it then digs a small tunnel in various compact materials, such as wood, cork, books, chipboard, etc. It does not use these materials for food but only for shelter. If it finds no place to hide, it transforms into a nymph inside the envelope of its last moult. Even when it has shelter, the nymph remains partially enveloped in its exuviae. The insect remains in the pupal stage for a period generally varying from a few days to two weeks before emerging in its adult form. Under favorable conditions, the adult larder beetle can live for more than a year.
HABITAT
Although it is present in nature, the larder beetle is more often noticed in homes. Outside, it spends the winter in the cracks of the bark of trees.
Once considered a butcher’s bug, this beetle infested stored meat. With the advent of refrigeration, its habitat has diversified and it is now found near its food sources in attics, inside walls and attics, in the pantry, behind stoves or in hoods. It also frequents abandoned wasp nests, chicken coops and honeybee hives.
POWER SUPPLY
As its name suggests, the larder beetle likes food that contains animal fat. It feeds on a variety of foods including ham, bacon, cooked meats, dried fish and meats, cheese, mammal hides, bones, feathers, beeswax, rodent corpses, cooking grease, dry pet food and various insects, both dead and alive. It also wreaks havoc on poorly protected insect collections and also attacks naturalized animals. It may feed on plant material, but its preference is for foods rich in animal protein. The larvae are cannibalistic and can eat other larvae or pupae of their own species. In the wild, adult larder beetles are sometimes observed on flowers from which they eat the pollen. They would often be females. The adult insect can subsist without food for several weeks.
CONTROL METHODS
Don’t panic when you see one or two adult beetles in your home in the spring or fall. It is then easy to catch them by hand and get rid of them. However, this insect should not be tolerated at home as it can become invasive. It is especially important to react quickly if you find several larvae or their exuviae (envelopes left after the moult) in different rooms.
The first step is to find the food source(s) of the larvae. Be sure to remove any accumulation of dead flies from attics and attics, and dispose of trapped rodents quickly.
Check the contents of cupboards and pantries, as well as dry pet food containers. All contaminated food should be disposed of in the garbage. Clean the infested area thoroughly. Keep food in airtight containers.
The insect is attracted to cooking grease, so be sure to clean the back of the stove and the hood regularly. To prevent infestations, install screens on all windows and caulk cracks in the house.
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