Subject: Bugs
Location: Golden Colorado
March 25, 2013 4:40 pm
Bug man,
Can you help us ID this bug? We have tried steam, spraying, cleaning, bombs and these guys keep coming back. I think we have killed very bug on the mountain. My wife says she has been bitten, but I don’t think it’s a bedbug? We live outside of Golden Colorado at about 8300 ft. In a log home.
Thanks
Bob
Signature: Robert Erickson
Dear Robert,
This is a Larder Beetle, Dermestes lardarius, and it is a common household pest found in stored foods. No amount of spraying will work if you don’t find the source of the infestation. We suggest you clean out the pantry and discard old foods.
Thanks Daniel,
We have cleaned the pantry and the house and have not found the source . We will keep looking …at least we have eliminated bedbugs! Like you said these guys keep coming back.
Could the source be dead mice in the basement wall. These are the only framed walls in the house? We also have a really old Freezer.
These guys don’t look like they fly?
Bob
Hi Bob,
We would not rule out dead mice as a food source. Larder Beetles can fly.
I can confirm that larder beetles will feast on dead critters. About 10 years ago mice got into our house through a badly sealed pet door, and the resulting infestation took pretty much forever to get rid of – the acquisition of our cat was a direct result of our rodent battle. Anyways, periodically we would find perfect mouse skeletons under furniture, and every time there would be a cluster of larder beetle larval exuviae mixed in with the remaining bits of fur. We have since witnessed the same “food chain” evidence when the cat, who is still with us, manages to sneak some bit of unfortunate prey into the house, to be found much later in a corner of the basement. Very efficient scavengers, those little bug-gers!
Sadly, they also seem to have a fondness for stored foods and museum specimens, depending upon the species.
These larder beetlesare a pain every spring and fall the come into my house. They feed off the box elder bugs aroundmy home and they seem to be also attracted to moisture….they annoyong bc they do bite their bite marks are similar to bed bug bits 3\4 bites in a row.
Do these larder beetles bite humans? My son is being bitten every night and we have found no site of bed bugs.
We are going crazy trying to figure this out, doing laundry, cleaning, fogging, and more!
After fogging, this is the only bug I found dead and found a live one on the couch this morning.
Help!!!!
We have heard it said that “if it has a mouth, it can bite” but to the best of our knowledge, Larder Beetles do not bite humans.
One bit me on the leg today it’s been about hours and it’s still causing me some discomfort
Wondering if you found the cause of the bites? We have been experiencing the same thing. Only thing I see around are Larder Beetles and their Larvae
I found a few these beetles a few months ago and they are now reappearing. I got some used furniture from a friend of mine who has multiple dogs. Could they have come from that? I also live in a 2nd story apartment and the very elderly lady underneath me as a bird. I read that like pet food and such. I don’t have any pets and my food is all.sealed up in cupboards. Could they be coming up through the walls? What would be the most likely scenario based on that information? They seem to like the bathroom and try going into a small gap between the seal of door casing and wall. I don’t know, I just want them gone!
please help us identify some of these insects we’ve found. they hav been found virtually everywhere in my home. they’ve been on our hair, in our nose, on our eyebrows, in my mouth, even had one extracted from what I believed to be a pigsty until I removed it using sterile tweezers from the infected area of my lower eye lid.
Have you checked into bird lice?
wrong post sorry
Plz tell me more. My entire family is experiencing every symptom you have explained. Some people suggested it may be morgellons disease. I would like to know if you still are experiencing these symptoms. I can see your comment was left quite some time ago. I’m at wits end.
how do I attach pictures?
Images cannot be attached to comments. You can submit images for identification using the standard form on the Ask What’s That Bug? link on our site.
I think someone is mistaken, these larder beetles do something to break the skin. Whether they bite or their hairs leave marks. I have not seen any other types of bugs in my house other than more recently box elders. I think maybe the fact that more than one person thinks/claims that they have gotten bitten, this matter should be experimented a little further. I know that im not crazy. I also have never really seen them or their larva carcass in my pantry only where there is moisture. Also if they are attracted to shedded skin then maybe they should be re evalutated and put into the category as a cousin to a beg bug. just saying more than one person, a few here are saying they have gotten bit.
I am seconding this motion.
I’ve been bitten by something the last couple of weeks. At first I thought it was mosquitoes or something similar. Then I thought it was some kind of restless legs thing. There is a sharp sting that immediately goes away when I flinch.
Well, now it’s 03.30 in the morning where I live, I was woken up by getting one of those “stings”. Instead of just glancing at the foot-end, I did a proper search around the foot end of the bed. I found one small/young Dermestes Lardarius at the sheet, then I searched a bit more, and found a further 3.
There was some in the kitchen a few years ago, but I got rid of them after a thorough cleaning. Last year I got a (free roaming)cat, and I think this is the reason. Both because there is always dry food in(and a little around) the cats bowl in the kitchen, and because she catches mice/birds. To top it off, she likes to drag the catch into the bed if I’m not around to shoo her away.
Correction…I have seen them in my pantry the larva and the carcasses of their larava….just found a bunch climbing around in my hermit crabs cage the larvae that is. They were feeding off the baby dried shrimp. They make my skin crawl. I know they bite…I swear to it.
Also found their larva carcasses in my plastic storage tubs.
I just got bit by one of these they do bite
Thats what i think as well this bugs bite so what are they really
I’ve gotten bit by one today!! I felt a sting on my leg I pulled the covers back and there was the beetle. It’s been about three hours I still have a inflammation and its still painful
We never saw any signs of the bug until we had an exchange student from Germany live with us. Shortly after she arrived her bedroom seemed to become a breeding ground for them. That was over 16 years ago. Professional extermination has diminished that population drastically to where we only see a few here and there, but it’s never been around food items and we don’t have much trouble with mice or box elder bugs. We do have those stinky Asian beetles. Would they feed on those stinky things?
Can larder beetles swim, or will they drown?
they can swim unfortunately
I know this feed is a couple of years old but I came across it whilst looking to see if there are any symptoms or reactions when bitten by a Larder Beetle as I was bitten by one about an hour or so ago! I turn my bed down to air it everyday & didn’t see anything in my bed when remaking it. I had been in bed about an hour when I felt a sharp sting! I threw the covers back & jumped out of bed & when I looked there was a larder beetle in my bed!It bit me on the back of my thigh about mid way & I’m just a bit concerned as my leg has now started with a weird like achy, tingly, pins & needles. I was just wondering if anyone else who has been bitten by this beetle if they had any symptoms or reactions?
I have gotten bit by one June 21 2019 and that Sunday the 23rd i was in the emergency room my right arm was swollen and it itched terribly,,it was hard in spots and very hot it hurt my diagnosis was cellulitis staff infection so you do need to look into them deeper on what they can do to you as I said they do bite !!! I’m on antibiotics now.
I had meat delivered to my house a few days ago and the delivery carton was in my living room. I was working around the box and got bitten by a Larder Beetle – an hour ago! Yes, I confirmed it as The Larder beetle AND YES, They do bite!!