Warehouse Beetle
(Trogoderma variabile)
The warehouse beetle, Trogoderma variabile, is one of several species of beetle in the genus Trogoderma that are considered pests of stored products and a kitchen pantry pest. Adults are about 1/8 inch long and may be either black or dark brown with a metallic sheen. They have four pair of wings and two short antennae.
The adult female makes a small hole in the packaging material. She lays eggs on the food product, which she covers with secretions from her mouthparts. The larvae feed on the food product and pupate within their feeding tube.
When food becomes scarce or disappears, Warehouse Beetle larvae may enter a lengthy period of inactivity known as diapause, where insects are completely inactive and do not feed. When conditions become more favorable for development (e.g., temperature increases), diapausing larvae resume development and emerge as adults to reinitiate feeding activity upon emergence from diapause
