- Scientific name
- Stegobium paniceum
- Also called
- bread beetle, biscuit beetle
- Size
- About 1/10 in
- Color
- Reddish brown
- Found in
- Spices, flour, baking mixes, pet food, dried herbs, even books
- Harmful?
- Spoils food; not a health risk
- Active
- Year-round indoors; adults fly to windows
What to do
The drugstore beetle is a tiny reddish-brown beetle that infests almost any dry food: spices, flour, pet food, dried flowers. It got its name from dried medicinal herbs in old pharmacies, and UC IPM quotes the saying that it will “eat anything except cast iron.” It doesn’t bite. The one thing to do: find the infested package, often old spices or pet food at the back of a shelf, and throw it out. The full cleanout is in how to get rid of drugstore beetles.
This page covers how to identify a drugstore beetle, tell it from look-alikes and find the source. It rests on University of Kentucky and UC IPM guidance.
How to Identify a Drugstore Beetle: Tiny, Reddish, Head Tucked Under
- Tiny: about 1/10 inch, oval and reddish brown.
- Head tucked under so it’s hard to see from above.
- Fine rows of grooves along the wing covers, visible with a magnifier.
- Antennae end in a three-part club.
- Adults fly toward light, so they often show up on windowsills near the kitchen.
Tunnels chewed through an old book by drugstore beetle larvae. Photo: Didier Descouens (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Drugstore Beetle vs. Look-Alikes: Grooves and Snout
| Beetle | How it differs | How to tell |
|---|---|---|
| Drugstore beetle | Reddish brown, grooved wing covers | Head tucked under |
| Cigarette beetle | Almost identical, more common | Smooth wing covers, saw-toothed antennae, more humped |
| Red flour beetle | Longer, flat, shiny | Head visible from above; in flour |
| Rice weevil | Similar size | Long snout; inside whole grains |
Drugstore and cigarette beetles infest the same foods and are handled the same way; the cigarette beetle also eats cured tobacco (UC IPM).
Where You’ll Find Them: Any Dry Food
- Spices (especially paprika and chili powder), flour and baking mixes
- Dry pet food, birdseed and dried flowers
- Cereal, crackers, pasta and tea
- Windowsills near the kitchen
Females lay eggs in almost any dry organic material.
Are Drugstore Beetles Harmful? They Spoil Food
They don’t bite or spread disease. They spoil food, leave tiny holes in packages and spread to other dry goods. Their larvae are among the small grubs shown in bug eggs and larvae.
How to Confirm It’s a Drugstore Beetle
- Check spices and pet food first for tiny holes and live beetles.
- Look with a magnifier for grooves on the wing covers.
- Watch the window: small reddish beetles flying to light near the kitchen.
How to Get Rid of Drugstore Beetles
Find the food they’re breeding in, often old spices, pet food, flour or dried flowers, and throw it out. Freeze anything you want to keep at 0°F for 4 days, vacuum and wash the shelves, and move dry food into jars with tight lids. UC IPM doesn’t recommend insecticides for pantry pests, so you don’t need to spray. The step-by-step version, with costs, is how to get rid of drugstore beetles.
What to Do: Toss the Source, Seal the Rest
The steps are the same cleanout used for pantry moths: find every infested package, throw it out, vacuum the shelves and store dry food in containers with tight lids. UC IPM says plastic bags aren’t adequate, and keeping rarely used flour, spices and grains in the freezer prevents infestations. For other pests, browse all pest guides.
Often confused with
Sources
Last reviewed Oct 10, 2026.
