Nov 1, 2011 – You Say Pharmacy, I Say Drugstore
QUESTION:
What is a pharmacy bug and how do you treat for them?
ANSWER:
I thought you might have me stumped on that name, but the little light managed to come on. I suspect “pharmacy” bug is just an unusual common name for Drugstore Beetles – Stegobium paniceum. While we most commonly associate these beetles with food products they also will infest and feed on some unusual materials that perhaps were sold in pharmacies decades ago. These include strychnine, belladonna, and other toxic substances, as well as many kinds of spices, and we often find them within containers of spices today such as peppers, paprika, and others. Other than these odd items they would most often be found within any kind of grain-based foods in storage. Commonly these are dry pet foods, crackers and other baked goods, dried breads, and dry pasta. They also may infest some whole grains, particularly if those grains are broken in any way, and I once saw a major infestation actually burrowing into a wooden cutting board that was saturated with oils and grease.
These are extremely adaptive to many kinds of foods. We also may find them in many kinds of decorative items that could be around a home, such as dried flower arrangements. A few years ago a fad was to make shadow boxes and fill them with various colored pastas, seeds, and beans. Another fad was to make decorative items out of bread dough, baking it and coating it with a clear finish that the beetles easily chewed through. We also may find them infesting rodent baits that have sat too long in storage or when used for rodent control.
I mention all of these possible sources because control of these and other stored food pest insects MUST begin with an inspection to determine what is infested. You should NOT begin with insecticides nor believe that chemical applications alone are going to resolve the problem. Fogging and surface treatments with insecticides are incapable of getting to the source of the problem, which is the larvae feeding comfortably and protected within some closed container or cupboard………or wall. I once investigated a massive Drugstore beetle infestation in a home, where the source was large accumulations of dog food that had been stored in the walls by rats a few years earlier.
You “treat” for drugstore beetles with a very careful inspection of every possible place within the home or business where foods could be present. Once you discover the source or multiple sources you need to cleanup and dispose of the infested materials, vacuum the area thoroughly to remove all residues and exposed beetles, and at this point perhaps apply a residual insecticide to intercept any remaining beetles that could be wandering the area. But, until you find the source and deal with it at that point I would encourage you to avoid the temptation to spray or fog, and in fact fogging is not going to accomplish much anyhow. There is no easy way out for stored food pest problems, and the grunt work of careful inspection and discovery is needed. You may consider the use of the appropriate Pheromone Monitor to help narrow the search if you are having problems finding the source.
Pest QuestionsNovember 03, 2011
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