How To Identify a Larder Beetle and How Get Rid of Them

Are you dealing with larder beetles in your home in or near Anchorage, AK? Chances are you’re familiar with larder beetles. Does a small, oval bug with a dark-colored body and light stripe ring a bell? Larder beetles are pretty common and frequent in both commercial and residential environments.

Identifying Larder Beetles

Identifying larder beetles is not difficult. As mentioned above, they are small, oval-shaped, and have dark bodies with light stripes around them. They are commonly found in food pantries and can be extremely annoying for both home and business owners. The name “larder” comes from their presence in cured, dried meats.

Here’s a brief description of larder beetles:

• Adult larder beetles are typically between 1/4 to 3/8 inches long with oval-shaped bodies
• Adults can range from dark brown to black in color and have a wide yellow stripe that wraps across their bodies. The stripe contains six dark spots.
• Larder beetles can be up to ½ inches long and are tapered. They are covered in stiff hair.

You can easily identify them because they are found hidden in cracks and crevices. However, in the spring they are normally drawn to various food sources within residential and commercial buildings.

Getting Rid of Larder Beetles

First, you should know that larder beetles emerge in the spring. If you are dealing with an infestation of larder beetles, you should work quickly to eliminate them. Taking swift action prevents them from causing damage to your home or business.

If you’ve already noticed the damage to your stored food, furs, or book, chances are that larder beetles have already begun destroying things in your home.

You should initially begin with cleaning infested food products, clothing, and other items that they have damaged in your home or business. Once you have cleaned and disinfected everything, you can begin applying pesticides. When applying pesticides, you should insert them into cracks and crevices in your home.

Also, you can apply beetle and moth traps. They are simple to use and do not contain any pesticides. Instead, they contain pheromone-scented glue to attract them and capture them.

These traps can be used on your pantry shelves and other areas where they cannot get easily smashed when left undisturbed. Additionally, they can be hung in pantries away from closets and food.

Preventing larder beetle infestations is quite simple once you have gotten rid of them.

Make sure that you store all pet and human food items in plastic, glass, or airtight metal containers. Be sure to vacuum and clean any shelf that was initially affected.

If you are not able to pinpoint the exact source of the infestation, be sure to implement a general control process and vacuum inside cracks and crevices and other areas where beetles may hide.

If any of your valuable items are infested, you can simply heat and sterilize them at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for up to four days.

Categorised in: Insect Control

This post was written by Ken Perry