American Spider Beetle

American spider beetle is dark, reddish-brown to nearly black with a shining subglobular body.

American spider beetle adult is from 1.5 to 3.5 millimeters in length and has a dark reddish-brown to black, shiny, globular abdomen. The head, thorax, legs, and antennae are covered with hairs that are a pale yellow to cream color.

The whitemarked spider beetle adult is from 2 to 4.3 millimeters long and are light brown in color with patches of white hairs on the wing covers. However, the white patches are frequently rubbed off of older beetles. Males have a thinner and more elongated abdomen than the females.

American spider beetle is generally of minor importance. It feeds on both animal and vegetable products, including melon seeds, mixed feed, grain, tobacco, cayenne pepper and woolen carpeting. It is most commonly seen in homes but has also been found in warehouses and flour mills. These beetles are also known to breed in large accumulations of pet, bird, bat and rodent feces often found in bird or bat roosts.

American Spider beetles contaminate food products with body parts, feces and pupal cases. These beetles prefer the dark and are most active at night or continually in darkened areas. Spider beetles harbor during daylight hours inside crevices, between food packaging and other darkened areas. Activity is greatest where cooler temperatures are found.

Life Cycle : Adult american spider beetles usually appear during the spring. The female lays up to 40 eggs. Eggs are spindleshaped, pearly, and about 1/32-inch long. Eggs may be laid on the outside of the grain sacks or in flour debris in cracks and corners. Eggs hatch into larvae that reach a body length of almost 1/8 inch. Cream-colored larvae with brown heads develop in three months and molt three times with a pupal cell in the flour debris.

Larvae often bore into wood or cardboard boxes to overwinter in the pupal cell with actual pupation occurring the following spring. Some spider beetles can remain active during the cold months, especially in older buildings where sources of food have accumulated. Spider beetles may become pests in homes, warehouses, grain mills, museums, etc. They are attracted to moisture, excrement, and abandoned animal nests.

Damage :American Spider beetles are generalist feeders and do not create any distinctive damage. Both adult and larval feeding causes damage to the commodity. They feed on stored wheat, cereal products, grain dust, spices, hay, bread, fish meal, decaying plant and animal refuse, wool articles, flour, animal feed, dried fruit and zoological collections.

Control: Areas where rodent, bird or bat feces may have accumulated within a structure also need to be checked. A pest management professional can be helpful in finding difficult infestation sources.Clean and remove infested accumulations of animal feces using accepted safety precautions. Clean cabinets and shelves where infested foods are stored by vacuuming and by using soap and water.

Store all dried food goods, including dried pet foods and birdseed, in a glass or plastic container with a tight lid. If beetles are in that food product then the infestation will be contained and not spread to other foods. · Consume older food products prior to newer purchases of the same food

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