Warehouse and Cabinet Beetle

Warehouse beetles (Trogoderma variable) and larger cabinet beetles (Trogoderma inclusum) are two of several household pests. They are relatives of the carpet beetles. Carpet beetles

Adults are typically 1/8 to 3/16-inch long, elongate oval in shape and brownish-black with variable patterns of transverse bands of pale yellow-to-off-white hairs on the back. Warehouse and cabinet beetle larvae are up to 1/4-inch long, narrow, tapered, and yellowish to dark brown, and hairy. Larvae are usually found within infested, stored items.

Wings Cabinet and warehouse beetles, on the other hand, are more likely to may be in grain products, cereals, seeds, candy, dried fruits, nuts, and pet foods. Both insects will feed on animal-origin products including woolen clothing, dried milk and dead insects, including dead flies, boxelder bugs, and ladybugs in wall voids and attics.

Life Cycle : Eggs are laid singly and are deposited loosely in processed commodity or in the crevices of whole kernels. The average duration of the egg stage is 7 days. There are normally 6 larval instars, but mature larvae can diapause. Molting can continue at irregular intervals. The percentage that diapause increases from 32% to 67% when exposed to room temperature daily and this increases to 80% when handled/disturbed daily along with room temperature storage. Diapausing larvae may delay pupation for as long as 2 years.

If a larva does not diapause, it requires approximately 34 days to pupate. Males generally pupate after 1 less molt than females. Pupation generally occurs near the surface of the food. The larval skin splits but it is not cast off. Pupal development occurs within this split skin and requires 4 days. Adults will remain in the last larval skin for up to 7 days and mate shortly after emergence. Maximum adult longevity is 100 days.

The larvae emerge and crawl freely about the grain to feed on broken kernels. Larger larvae may tunnel into kernels to feed. Larvae mature in about two weeks, and construct cocoon-like coverings by joining together small grains or pieces of grain. Within these structures the larvae pupate. the pupal stage lasts about a week. Total development from egg to adult requires about three to four weeks.The average life span ranges from 9 days.

Damage : Warehouse beetles are voracious feeders. They have been reported from seeds of all kinds, dead insects and animals, cereal products, candy cocoa, corn, corn meal, dog food, fish meal, flour, oatmeal, milk powder, spaghetti, spices, peas, wheat, barley, and pollen. In grain they cannot feed on whole grain, but can feed on broken kernels that are usually present. A notable feature of warehouse beetle infestations is the accumulation of skins shed by the larvae, which may moult up to ten times before pupation. Hairs shed by larvae may cause asthma, skin or gastric problems.

Control:cabinet beetles are pests of granaries, flour mills, food-packaging plants and warehouses and may be brought into homes via infested grain, seed or flour products. They are known to infest cereals, dried plant products, cocoa, corn meal, milk powder, dried soups, wheat, rice, seeds, dried insects and woolens. The larger cabinet beetle, Trogoderma inclusum LeConte, is an oval, blackish beetle mottled with reddish-brown, brown and grayish scales. The larva is worm-like and covered with short yellowish hairs, including a short tuft at the tip of the abdomen.

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