the essentials in brief
- The 5 most common black beetles in the house are: meal beetles and grain beetles (storage pests), fur beetles and house beetles (material pests) and rapeseed beetles (plant pests).
- Storage pests can be combated with heat (60 °), cold (-18 °), disinfection and disposal of infected food.
- Bio-agents against material pests are hot laundry, heat (80 ° -100 °), cold (-18 °) and oxygen deprivation.
- Rapeseed beetles, which are pests of plants in the house, are to be combated with lemon scent, live catching equipment or self-made yellow traps.
Identify black beetles in the house.
A two-step plan works well in practice when little black bugs are causing a headache around the house. In the first step, a thorough determination of the species is recommended. Knowing this, you will know exactly what to do as an effective countermeasure. Black beetles in the house can be pests of supplies, materials or plants.
also read
- Identifying small black beetles - tips for indoors and outdoors
- Identify and control beetles in the house
- Green beetle - How to determine the type of beetle
| Black beetles | Flour beetle | Grain beetle | Black fur beetle | House buck | Rapeseed beetle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| size | 10-18 mm | 2-4 mm | 3.5-6 mm | 8-26 mm | 1.5-2 mm |
| body shape | slender, elongated | elongated, elongated | elongated, pin-shaped | slim, elongated | round-oval |
| Special feature | Elyra with longitudinal grooves | long trunk | densely hairy | gray haired | metallic shimmering |
| Botanical name | Tenebrio molitor | Sitophilus granarius | Attagenus pellio | Hylotrupes bajulus | Brassicogethes aeneus |
| Beetle family | Black beetle | Weevil | Bacon beetle | Longhorn beetle | Gloss beetle |
| Status in the house | Storage pest | Storage pest | Material pest | Material pest | Plant pest |
It's not that easy to identify little black beetles that fly around the house or only venture out of cover at night. For more detailed information, please take a look at the following brief species portraits with further information for clear identification.
Flour beetle (Tenebrio molitor)
The flour beetle is mainly found in flour, but not only
Tiny black flour beetles target your supplies. Flour, grain and baked goods are very popular for the elongated black beetles. Unless you catch any of the nocturnal pests in the act, you will be on the arched one The wing covers recognize numerous longitudinal grooves, while the frightened beetle on its red-brown legs does Searches for space.
Grain beetle (Sitophilus granarius)
A dark brown to black grain beetle is still tiny, even in its prime beetle age. It takes an eagle's eye or a magnifying glass so that you can locate the characteristic head extension of the small weevil. Deep grooves on the dark wings and punctiform depressions on the pronotum serve as additional identifying features. The following video gives an exciting insight into the life of the most feared storage pest in Germany:
Youtube
Black fur beetle (Attagenus pellio)
The black fur beetle is a widespread material pest. Primarily the golden yellow, 15 mm long larvae have woolly materials such as furs, carpets or winter sweaters in their sights. Dried meat, salami, dried ham, long-life sausage, dry dog and cat food are also infested. The black, elongated-oval beetle can be recognized by a pronotum with 3 light spots. The densely hairy elytra adorn two bright blemishes. The first seven segments of the antennae are colored reddish.
House buck (Hylotrupes bajulus)
The house billy does a lot of damage in wood
If you spot small black, oblong-flat beetles in the house, this encounter should not be taken lightly. The color and body shape already indicate that the billy goat has arrived in your home. Further clues to the identity of the dreaded wood pest are the white patches of hair in the front third of the dark wing covers and two small bulges in the pronotum.
Rapeseed beetle (Brassicogethes aeneus)
Rapeseed beetles can mainly be found in the house when the rape is in bloom. Because the tiny, black beetles like to sit on yellow or white flowers, they quickly fall into it eye. On closer inspection, you can admire the shimmering metallic cover wings, which sometimes change to dark blue or dark green. The quite short antennae end club-shaped.
Digression
Gently put pests in front of the door
Black beetles indoors - control pests.
It is worth keeping a cool head and first determining the type of beetle that is cheekily spreading around the house. Immediately this results in exactly the right means and measures to combat it. This strategy is more effective, cheaper and ecologically more sensible, instead of igniting a headless overkill of measures or wielding the chemical club. The following table gives an overview of how you can biologically combat black beetle pests in your home:
| Fight biologically | Storage pests | Material pests | Plant pests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Means / method | destroy contaminated food | to wash | to evict |
| How to use | Throw in the organic bin | wash at 60 ° | Lemon scents / lemongrass |
| Means / method | Heat (60 ° Celsius) | Heat (80 ° Celsius) | collect |
| How to use | 30-45 minutes in the oven | 1 hour in the sauna | capture with Snapy |
| Means / method | Cold (- 18 ° Celsius) | Cold (- 18 ° Celsius) | Build yellow trap |
| How to use | Freeze for 24 hours | Freezer for 48-72 hours | Water-detergent mix |
| Means / method | Cleaning / disinfection | Withdraw oxygen | |
| How to use | Wipe hot with Sagrotan | pack airtight |
By combating the immediate infestation, the problem is only superficially solved. Then go on the search for the cause of the disaster. Flour beetles and grain beetles use your grocery shopping as an entrance gate. You should therefore check in the shop whether there are any pests hiding in the goods. Transfer food to tightly closed storage containers. Textiles from the second-hand shop often have material spoilers on board.
Tips
Most small black beetles can fly excellently. The insects find out with dreamlike security where a window is tilted or a balcony door is open. How disappointing for the winged invaders when they collide with a tightly meshed insect net that denies them entry.
Fighting pests in supplies and materials - tips & tricks.
If storage pests are suspected, the cupboard and packaged food should be cleaned thoroughly
In addition to the above table for biological control agents against stored and material pests, we have put together practical tips & tricks for you:
- Recognizable infected food is always in Organic garbage dispose
- Only if you suspect dry supplies are disinfected in the oven at 60 ° Celsius on a baking sheet or in a fire-proof dish
- Alternatively, put suspicious foods in the freezer for at least 1 day
- Vacuum cupboards and drawers with contaminated supplies, wipe them with hot water and disinfect them with Sagrotan
- Wash textiles infected with beetles at a temperature of at least 60 ° Celsius (please follow the washing instructions)
- Place carpets, textiles, leather and similar materials in the sauna for 60 minutes at a minimum of 80 ° Celsius
- Optionally freeze for 2 to 3 days (recommended for sensitive woolen textiles)
- Pack contaminated items airtight in plastic bags for 2 to 3 weeks
The thermal control of fur beetles, wood tams and the like on large objects is a particular challenge. If you have good contacts with the local master carpenter, you may be able to use the company's drying chamber on request. If a sauna is not available, expose the affected materials to the blazing summer sun under a foil hood. In cold winter regions with temperatures well below -10 ° Celsius, you can give material pests a serious cold shock outside under a tent.
Fight tiny rape beetles as plant pests.
Rapeseed beetles prefer wild flowers, but if necessary they are also satisfied with indoor plants
Rapeseed beetles and carpenters will probably never be friends. Often the tiny ones sit as stowaways in wildflowers and forest herbs they have picked themselves. Cut off their favorite food, rapeseed, the shiny black beetles in the house are fond of potted plants on the windowsill. This is how you fight Rapeseed beetle as plant pests without poison:
- To evict: Place lemongrass or fragrance lamps with lemon scent in the house, lay out lemon wedges
- Capture and release: Catch individual beetles with a glass trick or Snapy live-catching device and release them outside
If it is not possible to drive away or catch the rapeseed beetle in the house, the yellow trap comes into play. Fill a small yellow bowl with water and a little washing-up liquid. Set up the trap in locations in the house with an increased number of beetles. Their preference for the color yellow is the doom of the rapeseed beetles.
frequently asked Questions
How can you prevent beetle infestation on supplies?
Keep food pests away by keeping food in sealed containers. After opening the packaging, dry food is ideally placed in Tupperware containers, such as coffee, sugar, flour or muesli. Freezing is also an effective form of prevention. At the very least, keeping food in the coolest possible condition is recommended to keep flour beetles and grain weevils away.
Are black bugs harmful to health in the house?
Food contaminated with storage pests is no longer suitable for consumption. Flour beetles and their larvae can transmit parasites, such as dwarf tapeworms. If grain beetles misuse their supplies as a source of food and as a nursery, there is a risk of consequential damage from mites and molds. In contrast, fur beetles, house billy beetles and rapeseed beetles are destructive beasts, but do not pose a health risk.
Tips
Numerous types of bugs can hardly be distinguished from a black beetle, but they are completely harmless. A prime example is the black ball bug (Coptosoma scutellatum). She loves to be cozy and warm and in autumn she likes to come to the house as a winter guest. Round and thick, 5 mm in size, with 6 legs, pronotum and antennae, the bug looks very much like a black beetle. You can tell why bedbugs wrongly have their bad reputation and can be distinguished from beetles here read up.
