6 Easy Steps To Get Rid of Drugstore Beetles in Kitchens and Other Rooms
Whether we’ve experienced it or imagined it, we all understand how disgusting it must be to open a box of cereal only to have small bugs tumble out into your bowl. Bugs and food do not mix. But, what if that bug was a drugstore beetle, and it’s actually in your bedroom or bathroom? Why are these bugs everywhere?
This guide will explain what’s likely occurring and what you can do about it.
What is a Drug Store Beetle?
Drugstore beetles are small beetles that infest packaged foods. They get their name because they were commonly found in packages on drug store shelves, but today they’re more likely to infest food like grains, cereal, pet food, and other pantry staples.
Drug store beetles are small, measuring approximately 1/10th of an inch from front to rear. They have long antennae with three clubs on the end, as well as six legs. They’re typically yellow, reddish brown, or red with oval-shaped bodies, and despite being much smaller, folks often confuse them with cockroaches.
These beetles do have wings and fly, and like most other beetles, they have hard wing covers over their wings called elytra. In drug store beetles, the elytra feature a texture of deep pits, ridges, and striations. These marks may only be visible under a magnifying glass. Also, a drugstore beetle may frequently be refer to as:
- Bread beetles
- Biscuit beetles
- Biscuit weevil
Drugstore beetle identification can be difficult, as they’re closely related to other beetles. Among those other pests are the cigarette beetle, which has a similar color and shape. However, the drugstore beetle has three clubs on each of its antennae, while the cigarette beetles have serrated teeth like a saw on their antennae. Also, cigarette beetles’ heads are bent straight down, giving this pest a hump-backed appearance.
What Do Drug Store Beetles Eat?
Drug store beetles have voracious appetites, munching on everything from bread, flour, cereal, pet foods, and cookies to books, fur, and horns. Contaminated foods may even consist of spices like paprika and red pepper. The most common place to find them in a home is in a kitchen cabinet, where they can eat through cardboard, cellophane, paper, and plastic wrap for access to the stored foods inside.
And once these beetles get into the cabinet and food storage areas, they’ll spread very quickly to the other food items, causing an infestation. Like other insects, they lay eggs within these food items, allowing their larvae (a cream-colored or white grub) to hatch and eat immediately.
Drugstore Beetle Life Cycle
Drugstore beetles start their lives as eggs. They’re laid in close proximity (basic inside of) a food source so they can hatch and begin eating right away. The larvae drugstore beetles reach maturity in 30 to 50 days, at which point they pupate in a silk cocoon. They’ll be in that cocoon for up to 10 days before emerging as adult drugstore beetles.
As adult drugstore beetles, this pest will look for a food source, to mate, and to hide in cracks and crevices around the home. These activities could potentially bring them to the bedroom.
Also, like how carpet beetle larvae are the most destructive forms of those beetles, drugstore beetle larvae do the most amount of damage and contaminating.
Why Are Drugstore Beetles in My Other Rooms?
There are a few reasons why drugstore beetles might hang out in a bedroom or living room, freaking out anyone who comes across them. They’ve either come in on clothing or in packaging, they’ve found food, or the kitchen is in close proximity to the bedroom. Or, they could be looking for a mate in a well-lit room.
Store Bought Items
Drugstore beetles can be almost anywhere in a warehouse or on store shelves. They can come in on infested items like new clothing, a new pack of towels, a magazine or book, or even a brown paper bag. For these reasons, a drug store infestation can be difficult to pinpoint, but they might be showing up in a bedroom or living room if any of these new items have come directly from the store.
Food Sources in Other Rooms
Also, consider that there are food sources in the bedroom, living room, and even an office. If the homeowner keeps a box of cookies or crackers next to their bed for those late-night Netflix sessions, that might be the source. The same could be said for snacks on desks for late-night work sessions. Even if the beetles didn’t come into the home in that bag of Goldfish, they could’ve spread from something else in the cabinet when the bag was first put away.
Other non-food items that these pests can eat could be books. Libraries are actually very common stomping grounds for drugstore beetles, and those that borrow books or purchase used books may be unknowingly inviting these pests inside their bedrooms. A few stacks of Danielle Steele novels on the end table could be the cause.
Proximity to the Kitchen
If there are sources of infested food items in the kitchen, beetles can easily make their way to the rooms that adjoin it. These bugs hide in cracks and crevices, and if slipping through a crack in the wall, under some trim, or behind an outlet is their best chance of survival, they may take it.
These hiding spots can make a drugstore beetle infestation difficult to get rid of, and if this pest is migrating from room to room, the issue gets worse.
They’re Attracted to Light
Drugstore beetles are attracted to light sources, whether it be a bedroom light, a living room window, or other sources of light. They’ll leave their pantries and cabinets for these areas in hopes of finding a mate in those areas. While they may show up in other rooms, the drugstore beetle infestation is still based in the kitchen in most cases.
How To Get Rid of Drugstore Beetles
Getting rid of drugstore beetles involves disposing of all stored foods that are infested, cleaning, and applying the right types of insecticides. The following steps will break down the process.
1. Get Rid of Contaminated Food Sources
Go through the cabinets and food storage areas and throw out any stored food products that might be infested with biscuit beetles. Contaminated foods may include items like cereals, oatmeal, grains, beans, flour, sugar, spices, pasta, chips, crackers, and other items in bags or boxes.
Drugstore beetle adults can easily chew through these items to get to the food, and if you don’t start fresh, you’ll likely reintroduce the biscuit beetle adults and larvae. Throw out anything that isn’t in cans, plastic containers, or glass containers.
Look for any signs of drugstore beetle activity at this point. If you see them scurry from boxes or bags to crack between shelves (even the small pinholes for adjustable shelving), you’ll have a good idea of where to work to get rid of drugstore beetles.
2. Vacuum the Food Storage Area
Use a vacuum to suck up any dirt, dust, crumbs, and food sources inside the cabinet, pantry, and closets. Make sure to linger over any cracks and crevices, as there is always a chance of biscuit beetles or their eggs hiding behind there. Just be sure to throw out the vacuum bag or clean the canister after vacuuming to prevent them from coming back.
3. Clean the Cabinets with Water
Give the entire cabinet and pantry area a thorough cleaning with hot water and paper towel. Remove any food residue, films, or dust that might prevent insecticide aerosol sprays from being effective during the treatment process.
Two things to note here: Don’t use soap to clean the cabinet, and don’t use a reusable rag. Soap will prevent drugstore beetles from interacting with the insecticides, and a reusable rag can collect eggs and perpetuate the issue.
4. Treat Drugstore Beetles with Insecticides
Normally at RiddaBugs, we offer natural options for getting rid of pests first, but in this case, your family’s money is on the line. We need fast results so your family can avoid throwing out more contaminated food.
Our suggestion is to start with Pyrid aerosol spray, or another pyrethrin-based spray. These sprays don’t offer residual barriers, but they can act as a flushing agent to knock down drugstore beetle adults and drugstore beetle larvae immediately.
Next, apply a broad-range pyrethroid-based insecticide to the sides and cabinets. These products generally have longer residual coverage, killing drugstore beetles and other pests that come into contact with the barrier for up to 30 days.
Most insecticides state that it’s safe to place food items back into the cabinet once the spray dries. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
5. Use Pheromone Traps to Catch the Stragglers
Place pheromone traps in the cabinet to catch any stragglers left behind. Biscuit beetles are attracted to these traps, and once they (and other small insect species) crawl on them, their feet get stuck. They’ll eventually dehydrate and die there, removing one more adult drugstore beetle from the battle. They’ll also work for rice moths and other pantry pests, as well.
Pheromone traps are especially handy for renters as they’re inexpensive and won’t care permanent damage. However, remember that in most cases, the landlord is responsible for pest control issues.
6. Restock the Cabinets
Restocking your cabinets with food. Our suggestion is to make the first few shopping trips relatively light, purchasing only what you can use within a week. This way, if an infestation rears its ugly head once again, you won’t have to throw out as much food.
Also, consider storing a potential food source in air-tight plastic containers or glass containers. These storage options are preventative measures against drugstore beetle infestations.
How To Prevent Drugstore Beetles
There are a few ways that homeowners and renters can avoid a drugstore beetle infestation. It does require some behavioral changes, however.
- Store pet food in sealed plastic containers to keep pest species like drugstore beetle, cigarette beetle, and even roach species out
- Use airtight glass jars and containers with tight-fitting lids in food storage spaces like cabinets and pantry areas.
- Identify potential holes in the cardboard and plastic food packaging before purchasing potentially infested food products.
FAQs
How did I get drugstore beetles?
More than likely, your drugstore beetle problem came from a store. Drugstore beetles live on a wide range of products, from food items to apparel boxes and books.
How dangerous are drugstore beetles?
The drugstore beetle is not known to transmit diseases or bacteria, which means they’re mostly harmless. However, they can infest food and cause homeowners to throw it out. This can cost homeowners a lot of money over time.
Why do I have drugstore beetles in my bedroom?
There are several reasons why these insects may be in your bedroom:
- They may have a food source like a box of cookies or crackers, or even a book
- The bedroom may be in close proximity to the kitchen and provide a place for them to hide
- They may have come in on boxed items from a store, regardless of whether they’re edible or not
- They may be looking for a mate and the bright windows in your room are attracting them
