Drugstore Beetle Control Nassau County, New York

Drugstore beetles, also known as bread and biscuit beetles, are reddish-brown oval-shaped beetles measuring 1/8" in length that infest stored food products. These insects will feed on many drugs, including poisons such as strychnine and belladonna. They infest peanuts, almonds, red pepper, flour, wheat, wheat germ, wheat bran, nuts, seeds, grains, spices, paprika, alfalfa meal, milo, flour, cornmeal, dried fruits, bread, beans, dry dog food, fish meal, coffee beans, instant chocolate, powdered milk, pasta, tea, dried flowers, books and manuscripts, and certain fillers and fabric coverings of furniture. Drugstore beetles belong to the family Ptinidae and resemble anobiid powderpost beetles. These beetles are found worldwide but are more common in warmer climates.

•

Drugstore beetles have a hard exoskeleton, including the forewings called elytra, which function to protect their hindwings.

•

Drugstore beetle elytra possess distinct striae. There are longitudinal rows of fine hairs on their wing covers.

•

Drugstore beetle bodies are divided into three sections: head, thorax, and abdomen.

•

Drugstore beetles have two compound eyes, two antennae, and six legs.

•

Drugstore beetle antennae are clubbed with three elongated and broadened segments at the tips.

•

Drugstore beetles possess abdominal spiracles through which they breathe air.

•

Drugstore beetles have a pronotum which is situated directly behind their head.

•

Drugstore beetles have a scutellum, a triangular structure found between their forewings and behind the pronotum.

Drugstore beetles undergo complete metamorphosis, which is made up of four stages: the egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Female biscuit beetles lay up to seventy-five eggs in food or substrate. The eggs will hatch in six to ten days after being deposited. The larval stage lasts four to twenty weeks. The bread beetle larvae tunnel through the substrate, and when they reach maturity, they will build a cocoon and pupate. Pupation occurs in twelve to eighteen days. Adult female drugstore beetles live approximately thirteen to sixty-five days, can fly, and are, therefore, capable of infesting materials at a distance from the original infestation. The entire life cycle of the biscuit beetle is typically less than two months in duration but can be as long as seven months. The length of the life cycle is contingent upon the temperature and food source.

At the time of purchase, food items such as cornmeal and pasta should be examined for signs of drugstore beetle infestations. Do not purchase seldom-used food items in bulk to avoid prolonged storage periods of one month or more. Foods prone to bread beetle infestations should be stored in insect-proof containers or should be refrigerated. Keeping food storage areas clean is essential to preventing drugstore beetle infestations.

Controlling drugstore beetles is a multi-step process. The use of insecticides to control biscuit beetles should be supplementary to sanitation and proper food storage. Locating the source of a drugstore beetle infestation is imperative to their control. Food items that have become infested by beetles should be disposed of. Getting rid of a drugstore beetle infestation at a Long Island home can be complicated, even for the most experienced exterminator. In the absence of the proper training, equipment, and restricted use pesticides, eradicating an infestation of drugstore beetles from your Nassau County home is an endeavor that will fail. Therefore, you need to contact the Long Island biscuit beetle control professionals at Nassau County Pest Control. Our Long Island drugstore beetle exterminating experts have an extensive knowledge of drugstore beetle control methods and many years of experience combating bread beetle infestations.