Small black house bug with brown stripe - revealed (2023)

This guide revealssmall black house bug with brown stripesin the middle that you come across in your kitchen and home.

You will learn how and why these insects get into your home, what damage they cause, and how to get rid of them without insecticides.

And much more. Continue reading.

Small Black House Bug With Brown Stripe - Spotted!

The small black beetle with a brown stripe down the middle of its body is a pantry beetle.

Pantry bugs are pantry and fabric pests that prey on stored foods and natural fabrics.

They are omnivores. So their diet includes both stored grains and meat.

An adult pantry beetle will grow to 1/4 to 1/3 inch in size. They are oval.

An adult bacon beetle is black with a broad tan stripe across its thorax. The brown stripe also has six black dots.

Two pairs of wings are attached to its thorax, which make the food beetle a strong flyer.

It has six legs and a pair of long antennae. The wing pads are visible through the distinct distinction that runs down the center of its back.

Life cycle of pantry beetles

Adult food beetles mate and start laying eggs in spring.

Outdoors, these beetles lay eggs in animal carcasses, dead insects and rodents, and in bird nests.

The larvae that hatch from these eggs feed on the carcasses, feathers, and droppings of nestlings in the bird's nest.

The adult food beetles lay their eggs in these places to ensure a constant supply of food for their larvae.

The female food beetle can lay up to 100 eggs. The eggs take 12-13 days to hatch.

The larva of the bacon beetle looks like a worm. It is blackish or dark brown in color and has hairy bristles on its body.

The larvae feed on the food source in which they were born. And they remain in the larval stage for 40-50 days.

The larvae then change to the pupal stage.

At this stage, the larvae build a cocoon around themselves and remain inside for 10-12 days before emerging as adults.

When looking for a place to pupate, the larvae bore into wood, insulating materials or even book covers.

The pantry beetle completes its life cycle within 70 days of hatching from the egg.

The larvae of the pantry beetle cause maximum damage in your house.

You will find out later in the article what damage they cause.

First, let's find out how the bacon beetle infestation begins.

Larder beetle infestation in houses

Pantry beetles fly into your home looking for a place to lay their eggs. And they prefer to lay their eggs on the food source of their larvae.

So they sneak into your kitchen and pantry and target the stored foods, particularly high-protein foods like cheese and charcuterie.

But they won't shy away from laying their eggs in stored grains like corn, flour, beans, and lentils.

The adult pantry beetles have powerful mouthparts.

This allows them to chew through jars and thin plastic and cardboard food storage containers.

They feed on the food stored in these jars and lay eggs on top of the food.

Their preference for protein-rich food sources also makes natural fabrics such as wool, silk, leather, fur, and feathers preferred targets.

Both the adult bacon beetles and their larvae feed on them.

So you can also lay eggs in your closet or wardrobe if you have stored clothes made from these fabrics in these places.

Wool carpets, blankets, rugs, clothes made of silk and wool, stuffed animals and fur coats are at risk of being attacked by larvae and larvae of the larvae.

So it's pantry beetlesharmful closet pests.

A larder beetle infestation occurs when too many adult larder beetles invade and hide in your home.

And they are also welcome to come into roomsbedroomand laundry rooms to hide.

The infestation will only get worse if there are other dead bugs in your home.

Many mistakes likeBoxelder-Bugs, grape flies, kiss bugs, wasps and stink bugs sneak in during the winter months to hibernate.

They hide in cracks and crevices in walls, floors, and places like the attic and basement.

Many of them also die in these places.

The pantry bugs in your house will find these dead bugs and lay eggs on them.

So, bacon beetle infestations in your home can spread from anywhere, not just your kitchen.

Signs of Larder Beetle infestation and damage

There are two signs of a bacon beetle infestation –

1. Sightings of adult food beetles and their larvae
2. Damage to products and fabrics made from natural fabrics such as wool, silk, fur, etc.

Sightings of multiple bacon beetles in your home are a telltale sign of a bacon beetle infestation.

But just seeing a food beetle doesn't mean it's infested.

It can be a harbinger of an infestation if you don't act quickly.

However, if you see food beetle larvae, then that is a clear sign that there are more.

Larvae sightings indicate that there are more eggs in your home. And they will hatch to produce more larvae.

The larvae will do damage if you don't get rid of them.

Another sign of a bacon beetle infestation is damage to products made from animal matter.

The larvae gnaw on carpets, rugs, leather upholstery, and even wool, silk, and fur clothing.

This damage is irreversible.

In addition, the larvae feed on the stored food where the adult food beetles lay their eggs.

The food gets stale. You will also notice the larva's fecal deposits on the stored food.

How do you get rid of food bugs?

The best ways to get rid of food bugs in your home are through thorough inspection, cleaning, removing their food source, and discarding infested items.

You can get rid of the bacon beetle without using insecticides or pesticide spray.

However, the challenge is to find the food source of these bugs. And eliminate them.

If you don't do this and prevent the adults from entering your home, food beetle infestations will reappear.

So, here are the four steps to get rid of food bugs.

#1 - Conduct a thorough inspection of your home to find the food bugs

Investigate places like stored food in your kitchen, pet food, and items infested by food bugs.

So you also need to inspect your closet, wardrobe and dresser drawers where you store your clothes.

If you have animal trophies or taxidermy in your home, examine them.

The larva of the bacon beetle hides in it and slowly feeds on the fur of these trophies and taxidermy.

Adult food beetles also sneak into houses in winter to hibernate.

They hide in the cracks of the attic, basement, storeroom and garage. Also inspect these places.

Check the gaps in the walls, ceiling, floor, and baseboards of your home. These crevices are home to many beetles.

Many of these bugs die in these places. And the adult food beetles lay their eggs in their carcasses.

All of these places and objects are the source of food for food beetles.

When inspecting these objects and places, you can find larvae of the larvae of the larvae and partly also the adult beetles.

Your next step is to eliminate them. Here's how to do it.

#2 – Eliminate the larder bugs and their larvae with a vacuum cleaner

Start by focusing on where you found the largest number of bacon beetles or their larvae.

These are the places that are the origin of the food bugs.

Get a vacuum cleaner. Use it on the larvae and adults (if any) to remove them.

Once you find larvae hiding in the cracks in the wall, use pincers to pull these larvae out.

Use your vacuum cleaner on these larvae to remove them.

Continue the process until you have removed all larvae and adult bugs from the infested areas.

#3 – Thoroughly clean your kitchen and dispose of infested items

The third step is essential. Clean your pantry shelves and storage areas like kitchen cabinets.

Vacuum any spots where you found the bacon beetle infestation.

Look out for infested food or damaged product parts made from animal material.

These are the food sources of food bugs in your kitchen and cupboard.

Throw away the food if it gives off a smell or if it has gone stale.

Wash the fabric in hot water to avoid damage to the bacon beetle. This will remove any larvae or eggs stuck in those fabrics.

Leather, fur and silk fabrics are best dry cleaned.

#4 – Finally, seal the cracks in the wall

Many homeowners stop at the third step. You will not address the cracks in the walls.

The result?

These errors pop up again out of nowhere.

You notice themLarvae on walls and ceilingbecause they didn't fix the cracks in the walls where bugs hide.

So seal cracks in walls, floors and ceilings. If there is extensive damage at these locations, repair them.

But there's a catch.

It doesn't stop there.

You must ensure that the food beetle does not invade your home again next spring.

You must also stop them from sneaking into your home to hibernate during the winter months.

Here's how to do it.

How to prevent food beetle infestation in your home

Getting rid of food bugs in your home will do no good unless you take steps to prevent them from entering your home.

Thislittle black flying bugsAppear in your home in spring.

They will also sneak into your house in winter looking for a place to hibernate.

Preventing an infestation is easy. And you can do it by following these seven steps.

#1 - Control the moisture levels in your home

Let's be honest. High humidity in the walls and floors of the house makes your home a magnet for insects.

And a lot of people ignore it.

So, to prevent an insect infestation, you need to control the humidity in your home.

And the best way to do that is to fix leaking pipes.

Fix all leaky pipes in your kitchen, bathroom, basement and even outdoors, especially the pipes that are near the foundation of your house.

Leaks from these pipes increase moisture in the floor and walls. This caused great damage to these places.

Result?

Walls and ceilings also crack and become porous. This makes it easy for the beetles to hide in these gaps and lay their eggs.

Even rodents can pierce these weak walls and build their nests in them.

#2 - Keep your groceries safe in sturdy containers

Properly storing your food in sturdy food storage containers is one of the surest ways to prevent an infestation from storage pests.

Weak plastic food storage containers and boxes are easily penetrated by the food beetle's powerful jaws.

They will chew through them and access stored food to infest and lay eggs.

#3 - Maintain cleanliness in your kitchen

A dirty kitchen is full of bugs, from ants to cockroaches, not to mention food bugs.

In addition to keeping food safe in your pantry, make sure that food doesn't spill over.

food stainskitchen worktops, stoves and household appliances attract pests.

So clean them frequently to remove food stains, crumbs, or spilled grains.

#4 – Repair damaged walls to deny food bugs hiding places

If there are too many gaps on the walls and ceiling, fix them.

These crevices house not only food beetles but also destructive pests such astermites, cockroaches and ants.

They also become the lair for dead bugs that the food bugs can sniff out to lay their eggs.

#5 - Install bug killers in your outdoor space

Insect killers are crucial to keeping flying insects out of your home.

Most flying bug activity is at its peak during the spring months and they will fly into your home through open doors and windows.

The light of the insect killers attracts these flying insects and electrocutes them. And they do the same with food beetles, because they too are attracted to the light.

Install oneBug-Zapperon your patio deck or near the doors to prevent flying insects and bugs from entering your home.

You can also install fine mesh window screens on your windows and vents for an extra layer of protection.

#6 – Remove any dead bugs or dead rodents from your property

Besides the stored food in your kitchen, the food source of these food bugs are the dead bugs and dead rodents in your house and property.

And in the spring months you will find plenty of them in your home.

Your home becomes a wintering target for many wintering bugs.

So check the places in your home that don't get much kicking, especially your attic, for dead bugs and rodents.

Also keep an eye out for carcasses of bugs in your yard and garden.

If you find any, remove those dead bugs and clean those spots with disinfectant.

#7 - Use scents that repel bugs and bugs

One of the best ways to repel insects is to use smells they hate. And peppermint is one of them.

UsePfefferminzsprayin your home, along the outside of your home, in the garden, and in places like the basement, kitchen, and attic.

You can spray on animal trophies, woolen rugs, and stuffed animals.

Peppermint's strong odor, pleasant to humans, is repellent to food beetles and many vermin such as ants and cockroaches.

You can also hang sticky traps in places like your kitchen and near your clothes storage areas to capture flying bugs or bugs around your home.

HoldBlocks of cedar woodin your closet, wardrobe and dresser drawers to protect your expensive natural fabrics from food bugs and closet bugs.

The smell of cedar logs also repels fabric bugs like clothes moths and carpet beetles.

They protect your clothes from the damage caused by the larvae of these bugs.

Are food beetles harmful to humans?

No, food bugs are not harmful to humans, children or pets. They don't bite and don't transmit diseases.

They are annoying pests that can quickly multiply in your home if you don't get rid of them.

pantry beetleand their larvae will damage your stored food and things made of natural fabrics like wool, silk, leather, etc.

Is the pantry beetle a species of carpet beetle? Food Beetles Vs. Carpet Beetles

Yes, the bacon beetle is a species of carpet beetle with the same infestation habits. In addition, both the bacon beetle and the carpet beetle belong to the Dermestidae family.

Carpet beetles also infest stored foods and will attack things made of animal material.

However, carpet beetles can also damage synthetic fabric products like nylon and polyester mixed with natural fabrics like wool and silk.

Clothing and things like cotton sheets and curtains that are soiled with food stains attract the carpet beetle larvae.

That's one of the reasons whyCarpet beetle larvae appear on your beddue to food stains or food crumbs on your bedding.

The carpet beetle larva looks like a food beetle, albeit smaller and fatter.

The carpet beetle larvae also have hairy bristles on their bodies.

But the carpet beetle larvae have yellowish spots on their bodies. In contrast, the larvae of the bacon beetle are dark brown or black.

Adult carpet beetles also look different. you look liketiny brown and white striped bugs.

As they age, the adult carpet beetles lose these spots as well, turning black or dark brown.

The pantry bugs are small black house bugs with brown stripes down the middle, and they don't shed them until they're alive.

Both the adult carpet beetle and the bacon beetle differ in their feeding habits in nature.

The adult carpet beetles feed on pollen and nectar from flowers. Unlike adult food beetles, they do not feed on dead beetles.

Do pantry beetles burrow in wood?

The larvae of the beetle burrow into the wood just before they enter the pupal stage.

In the pupal stage, the larvae of the bacon beetle wrap themselves in a cocoon.

It stays in this cocoon for 10-12 days before emerging as an adult.

Entomologists have found that this behavior of burrowing into wood during the pupal stage is a way to protect against cannibalism.

The larvae of the larvae that have not yet reached the pupal stage can eat the other pupae because they regard them as food.

However, the adult food beetles do not burrow into the wood.

Summary

The small black bug in the house with a brown stripe down the middle of its back is a food bug.

Pantry bugs are pantry pests and potential fabric bugs.

Pantry beetles are active during the spring months as they enter homes looking for a place to lay their eggs.

This guide explains why food beetles target stored food and products made from animal material to lay their eggs.

It also provides detailed steps to eliminate and prevent a food beetle infestation in your home, without hiring a pest control professional, of course.