(Latin: Tribolium destructor)
This species is like a small edition of the mealworm beetle, and its larvae look like small mealworms. It probably came originally from tropical Africa and has been distributed with goods to many parts of the world. It is now common and well established in Europe.
The beetle secretes a substance with a smell resembling Lysol, which clings to the goods that it infests.
During its life the female beetle can lay about 1000 eggs, usually in flour or grain, or in foodstuffs such as bread, biscuits, spaghetti or bird seed. In a normally heated kitchen the development from egg to adult beetle takes about 3 months.
The adults have an incredible wanderlust and so they may be found far from the kitchen.
The beetle itself can live for more than 3 years, and can survive for months without food.
"Pests in House and Home"
"Bed Bugs - Bites, Stings and Itches"
"Food Pests"
"Husets dyreliv" (Insects Around the House - Only danish)
"Skadedyr i træ" (Timber Pests - Only danish)
"Stuefluen" (Common Housefly - Only danish)