Dermestes lardarius
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Dermestes lardarius, commonly known as the larder beetle or moisture bug, is a species of beetle in the family Dermestidae, the skin beetles. It is found worldwide. It is a common pest of households and storage facilities ("larders") in much of the world. It eats animal products, such as dried meats and fish, pet food, skins and hides, feathers, cheese, and museum specimens such as dried insects. It may also eat plant material that is high in protein, such as grain.
The larva is longer than the adult and is covered in reddish brown or black setae. It has two back-curved, spine-like appendages on the posterior end. The larva of the black larder beetle has less strongly curved appendages. Mature larvae of both species tend to bore into hard substrates such as wood, cork, and plaster to pupate.
Adult larder beetles are generally 8,5 mm to 9,5 mm long and are dark brown with a broad, pale yellow spotted band across the upper portion of the elytra. The band contains three black dots arranged in a triangle shape. The sternum and legs of the larder beetle are covered in fine, yellow setae. Adult larder beetles are typically found outdoors in protected areas during the winter, but during the spring and early summer they enter buildings. Females lay approximately 135 eggs near a food source, and the eggs will hatch in about 12 days. The life cycle of larder beetles lasts around 40 to 50 days. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Kharkiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 3 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 4 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 7 | Kazan | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 10 | Saint Petersburg | 🇷🇺 Russia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Larder Beetle sighting in Anchorage on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 14th most-seen of the 59 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Larder Beetle in Anchorage on a given day, against under 5% in September and November–March, the lowest months. That is one of Anchorage's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain against 120 mm in September.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Larder Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 18 cities where we can rate Larder Beetle sightings, Anchorage has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 10%) and Helsinki (Finland, about 10%).
Same order: Coleoptera
The closest relatives of the Larder Beetle that you can see in Anchorage (order Coleoptera, Beetles) are Two-Spotted Lady Beetle (about 20%), Rain Beetle (about 20%) and Cream-Spotted Ladybird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Larder Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Anchorage (19 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
