Larder Beetles, Dermestes Lardarius

The adult female beetle lays from 200 to 800 eggs which hatch in about a week into small bristly larvae. In under two months, the fully-fed larvae migrate from the food source and seek pupation sites nearby. They make pupation chambers by tunneling into suitable adjacent materials, and have a particular attraction for wooden paneling and structural timbers.

These are serious pests in industrial and domestic kitchens, particularly around food cupboards, cookers and refrigerators. Their occurrence in kitchens is usually associated with poor hygiene, which allows them to breed successfully on food scraps.