Shiny Spider Beetle

Gibbium aequinoctiale

Spider beetles resemble small spiders due to their long legs and rounded abdomens.

These pests prefer dark places with lots of moisture, such as damp basements and crawl spaces. At night they scavenge for food, which includes wool, hair, animal droppings, and other debris.

If they get into pantries and food containers, spider beetles may contaminate stored food products with their eggs, larvae, silk (produced by the larvae), and droppings.

American Spider Beetle

Mezium americanum

Similar to Shiny Spider Beetles.

Cigarette Beetle

Lasioderma serricorne

Cigarette beetles are named for their attraction to stored tobacco (cigarettes, cigars, dried tobacco leaves, etc.), although they may also be found in a wide range of stored foods.

Adult beetles are nocturnal. They are good fliers and can occasionally be seen around doors and windowsills as they try to fly outside.

Aside from contaminating food, cigarette beetles are otherwise harmless and don’t carry any diseases.

Drugstore Beetle

Stegobium paniceum

Drugstore beetles can infest almost any type of stored food, including grains, seeds, spices, cereals, flour, nuts, beans, dried fruits, dried fish, and leather.

They have also been known to feed on prescription drugs, hence their name.

They are similar in appearance and behavior to Cigarette Beetles. Adult beetles are nocturnal and are particularly attracted to light at night. The main concern with drugstore beetles is food contamination.

Sawtoothed Grain Beetle

Oryzaephilus surinamensis

Sawtoothed grain beetles are widespread pests in the food industry as well as in home pantries. They can infest a wide range of stored foods, especially stored grains, seeds, and pet food.

They don’t bite, but their jaws are capable of chewing through cardboard and plastic- or foil-wrapped packaging. Once inside, these pests contaminate the food they feed on and cause moisture to build up, which may lead to mold problems.

Powderpost Beetles

Lyctinae spp.

Powderpost beetles are wood boring insects that are second only to termites when it comes to the damage they cause. They get their name from the fine powder-like sawdust they leave behind.

The adult beetles lay their eggs in cracks or pores in hard wood. After hatching, the larvae bore tunnels inside the wood as they feed and develop.

New beetles emerge from the infested wood, leaving behind tiny, round exit holes (called “shot holes”) about the size of a pinhead.

Rice Weevil

Sitophilus oryzae

Rice weevils are serious pests of stored grain and seeds, as well as hard processed foods like dry pasta and dry pet food.

They are “internal” feeders, meaning they deposit eggs inside whole grains and seeds. Their tiny, grub-like larvae feed from the inside while developing and eventually pupating within the hollowed-out husk.

Adult rice weevils can fly, which distinguishes them from a similar-looking species, wheat weevils. Neither species of weevils bite nor carry diseases.

Black Vine Weevil

Otiorhynchus sulcatus

Black vine weevils are garden pests that feed on a variety of ornamental plants.

The adult weevils feed on foliage, leaving behind notched chewing marks on the edges of leaves. The larvae are more problematic—they feed on roots, which can injure or stunt the growth of the host plants.

Black vine weevils are not as commonly seen indoors, but they can occasionally wander in through an open window or hitch a ride in newly-bought houseplants.