Dermestes lardarius
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Larder Beetle sighting in Toronto on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 557th most-seen of the 1689 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Larder Beetle in Toronto on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
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.
17th of 18
Of the 18 cities where we can rate Larder Beetle sightings, Toronto ranks 17th at under 5%. The best odds are in Anchorage (United States, about 10%), Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 10%) and Helsinki (Finland, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Larder Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Toronto (26 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.
