LARDER BEETLE BIOLOGY

Larder Beetle species are common throughout the world. In fact, larder beetles play an important role when it comes to recycling. Larder Beetles feed on most any dead animal. This includes animal hair and flesh. But this ferocious appetite can many times cause larder beetles to forage into homes and other buildings where their feeding will become a problem.

Larder beetles are small and dark. Adults will be in the 5-10 mm range and will range from dark brown to black in color. They are strong flyers and are attracted to decaying flesh and rotting meat. Larder beetles will regularly penetrate and nest in stored products like pet food or cheese. They love hanging meat like hams and sausage. And though adult larder beetles are attracted to such food, they don’t eat nearly as much as their offspring.

Adult larder beetle females will seek a good food supply on which to lay eggs. If conditions are right, these eggs will hatch in as little as 2 days. Larva should be able to find food close by (since females lay eggs close to food) and will eat continuously till they are ready to pupate and become adults. They are ferocious eaters and can chew though most anything. This feeding may go on for 1-8 months depending on local temperatures, humidity and food quality. Once they get their full, larvae will move off the food source and find a safe location in which to pupate. This could be in a slight crack or crevice, behind some type of siding or on a tree. Larvae can chew into wood and have been known to cause lots of damage to structural members of homes and buildings during their trek to find safe harborage. Larder beetle pupa will take a week or two to fully development before emerging as adults. This process could be delayed if it’s cold or other weather factors slow the process. When done, they will emerge as an energetic, light avoiding adult.

 

LARDER BEETLE LIFE CYCLE

Adults will mostly fly in darkness searching for fertile ground on which to continue their cycle. Males will be chasing females, which can start egg laying in as little as a week, and females are always seeking good food supplies on which to lay eggs. Female larder beetles will lay hundreds – in some cases thousands – of eggs. If she planned accordingly, her young should have plenty to eat once they hatch.

Larder beetles are important to the natural cycle of animals. By consuming both flesh and carcass, larder beetles enable dead animals to filter back into the earth. But this process can prove costly and expensive if they target something we’re trying to preserve. Larder beetles will become a nuisance when they find their way into homes and other buildings. Barns, poultry houses, sheds, dog kennels and other areas where animals are kept seem to naturally attract larder beetles. Though they prefer decomposing meat on which to feed, larder beetles will take advantage of animal skins, leather, rugs, mattresses and clothing when food supplies are limited. They can live on hats, fabric and just about anything which uses animal parts such as hair or skin. Larder beetles can be a hunters worse enemy since they love any animal that’s been mounted and displayed on the wall!! For this reason they will target museums, taxidermists and butchers too. Cattle farms are another favorite location as are zoos and even animal shelters. Larder beetles have been found on living animals too. Sickly dogs and other disease ridden wildlife can all become a target of this pest. Their small size and light body weight can make them difficult to notice. If left alone, they can cause huge amounts of damage and in extreme cases loss of life.

 

LARDER BEETLE TRAPS

Treatment for larder beetles is easy once you know where to treat. If you find something damaged, it’s important that you inspect the entire room as well as other parts of the home to try and assess the extent of the infestation. Treatment options will depend on just how extensive the problem might be. With larder beetles, it’s always better to treat more then what they’re eating. A good way to find out just how active they might be is to set out some LARDER BEETLE TRAPS. Set them out in rooms where activity is suspected along with surrounding rooms to make sure you aren’t missing something. Treat any room where traps catch something. This extra work can prove to be a good “insurance policy” that will protect you from hatching eggs which could easily go unseen. For example, if you have a small place rug or animal skin which has activity, it’s best to assume larva have migrated away to other parts of the home. If you only treat the rug, you could allow other stages close by to continue the cycle and target non-treated areas. In other words, do yourself a favor and treat as large of an area as possible – especially if the traps are showing larder beetles to be active somewhere you never expected!

Larder Beetle Traps: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/pheromone-and-food/hide-beetle-traps

 

LARDER BEETLE AEROSOL SPRAY

Treatment strategies should be determined based on area or areas that have larder beetle sign or activity. Small sheds won’t need a lot of product and can be adequately treated with something like MULTIPURPOSE INSECT KILLER. Commonly used for carpet beetles, this aerosol is easy to apply and gentle on most any surface. It uses Permethrin as the active ingredient and is water based. This makes it an excellent choice to use on animal skins, fur, carpets, furniture, animal mounts and just about any surface larder beetles might find attractive. Initially, use this product once every 2 weeks and then monthly to assure larder beetles won’t return.

Larder Beetle Killer: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/aerosol/lice-killer-10-oz

 

LARDER BEETLE LIQUID SPRAY

For large areas, it might make sense to get some DEFENSE SC or ECO WP and apply it with a SPRAYER. This will prove more economical and allow you to cover big areas more efficiently. Again, treat once every two weeks during initial phases of treatment and then monthly to insure they don’t return. You may want to consider adding a growth regulator like NYLAR to the tank mix. Though Nylar won’t kill adult stages, it will prevent larder beetle larvae from being able to grow into reproducing adults. It also lasts a long time. Nylar will work on larder beetles for months. Though the label states 9 months of protection may be achieved, treat every 6 months with it just to be sure. Larder beetles can be persistent so it’s smart to employ long lasting materials. Nylar is such a product and is a great product by itself to keep beetles from ever getting established.

D-fense SC: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/d-fense-sc.html

ECO WP:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/wettable-powder/eco-wp-1-lb

Nylar: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/igr/igr-nylar

Eliminator Pump Sprayer: http://www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/sprayers/eliminator-gallon-sprayer

 

Larder beetle control can be done once you know where to treat and what they are targeting. Remember, they are excellent flyers and will many times find different areas of the home to occupy. Animal mounts, horse hair mattresses and just about any natural fabric or material in the home can become food for this ferocious insect. Multipurpose Permethrin Aerosol might be easy to use and handy but it may not be the most economical option. Get the concentrated Permethrin or ECO WP for larger problems and add Nylar for long term protection. Install some larder beetle traps to get a better idea of just how bad the problem might be and be sure to change them out as needed. Once established, larder beetles might take some time to get under control but it can be done.

 

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