In cool temperatures (below 15✬) there is only one generation per year, in moderate temperatures two, while at higher temperatures (above 23✬) there may be five or more.Įggs are laid by mated females on or near the foodstuff. The speed of development through the life cycle depends on temperature, moisture, quality and abundance of food. In common with other beetles, this species passes through four life-stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult (pictured below). The Biscuit beetle occurs in houses, stores, warehouses and kitchens throughout central and northern Europe, including the UK, sometimes in very large numbers. Photo credits: Kamran Iftikhar / Wikimedia Commons Has much weaker punctures on the surface of the wing covers (elytra). Larvae bore into wood, where they feed for 3-5 years.Īntennae with many serrations, while Biscuit beetle has three large ones at the tip. Pronotum with obvious ‘hump’ like a monk’s cowl. Somewhat larger and darker brown, antennae shorter than legs. Line drawings © The Natural History Museum. Biscuit beetles have large dark eyes.ĭorsal view Lateral view Ventral view Biscuit (L) and Furniture beetle (R) The head is partially hidden by the pronotum (the plate that covers the upper part of the thorax). There are three flattened segments at the tip of antennae. Furniture beetles (or Woodworms) are similar but are somewhat larger and darker and their antennae are shorter than the legs (in Bread beetles the lengths are similar). They are small, between 2 and 4 mm in length, reddish-brown and, under magnification, reveal fine grooves running lengthways along the wing cases. The adult beetles are usually noticed first. However, this beetle is not harmful to health and despite its close resemblance to the Common furniture beetle or Woodworm beetle (in the adult stage), it does not feed on wood. It is able to feed on a variety of plant and animal products including bread and flour and even hot spices and drugs. The Bread beetle, Stegobium paniceum, also known as the Biscuit beetle (or the Drugstore beetle in the U.S.A.) is one of the commonest pest insects of stored food. The larvae are able to penetrate tinfoil and sheet lead.Other names: Drugstore beetle, Bread beetle Infested products may be contaminated and products and packaging may be damaged. In a warm atmosphere, there may be as many as four generations per year.īiscuit beetles feed on a wide range of cereal crops and beverage concentrates. It lays its eggs on a food source and once they begin to hatch the larvae continue to feed on the food. These insects are winged but tend to travel by transferring from one food source to the next. With such a varied diet it is found in a wide range of places, as it will survive on any type of food. flour, bread, it is an indiscriminate eater and will feast on a wide variety of products from furs and leather to spices and even pharmaceutical products.

It is also a serious pest of agricultural grain storage.Ī pest of cereal products e.g. They are fond of warmth and so are widely prevalent in shops and domestic larders, infesting a wide variety of dried matter and stored food products. The Biscuit Beetle, which is also commonly known at the Drugstore Beetle, has distinctive longitudinal grooves along its wing cover and its antennae end in three enlarged segments.Ī cosmopolitan pest, it can be found all across the world but is particularly prevalent in warmer regions and can survive in heated structures in more temperate climates. The have a cylindrical body that appears to be humped and are covered in dense short yellowish hairs. Oval shaped and reddish-brown in colour, the adult is 2-3.5mm long.

Biscuit beetle size