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Very small bug found in my dog’s food hopper.
December 26, 2009
Dear Daniel and Lisa,
I went to feed my dog a few days ago and found many very small bugs in the food as well as larval stages and empty pupa casings. The larval stage are about 1/4 in. long. The bugs are a little larger than the dot pattern on a paper towel. That is what I photographed it on so that you could see the colors better. I am in central Florida. I do not think that the bugs came with the food as much as got into the hopper later ,which is in stored in the garage.
Mike Healy
Central Florida

Ornate Cabinet Beetle

Hi Mike,
We believe this is an Ornate Cabinet Beetle, Trogoderma ornatum, a species that frequently infests stored food.  It is sometimes called a Warehouse Beetle and is a member of the family Dermestidae that includes many household pests including Carpet Beetles.  These beetles can do great damage to museum collections including insect collections.  BugGuide has some nice images, and the Terminex page has some good information, though we doubt that using their extermination services will help in ridding a home of Cabinet Beetles.

Daniel,
Thanks so much for getting back to me. I figured that it was some sort of beetle, judging by the hard body. I tossed the remaining food, washed the food hopper and thoroughly cleaned the area beneath it. hopefully that will keep them at bay, if not, I will have to find a different storage area for the food.
Have a happy new year and congratulations on the first step of the book.
Mike Healy

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