Hide Beetle Control
Hide 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. Hide 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 hide beetles are attracted to such food, they don't eat nearly as much as their offspring.
Adult hide 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. Hide 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 energic, light avoiding adult.
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 hide beetles will lay hundreds – in some cases thousands – of eggs. If she planned accordingly, her young should have plenty to eat once they hatch.
If you have a hide beetle problem you'd like to treat, read our HIDE BEETLE CONTROL article. It details all you'll need to know along with listing all the products needed to exterminate them.
