Chinch Bug vs Larder Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Chinch Bug Larder Beetle
Scientific Name Blissus leucopterus Dermestes lardarius
Order Hemiptera Coleoptera
Family Blissidae Dermestidae
Size 3-4 mm 6-10 mm
Habitat Gardens Gardens
Diet Sap Feeders Omnivores
Regions North America Worldwide
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Chinch Bug

A tiny black and white bug that is one of the most destructive pests of cereal crops and lawn grasses in North America. Adults have distinctive white wings folded flat over the back. Large populations can kill entire swathes of turf grass.

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Did You Know?

In the late 1800s, massive outbreaks destroyed so much wheat in the Great Plains that farmers built tar-filled trenches across fields to trap migrating chinch bug armies.

Larder Beetle

A dark brown beetle with a pale band across its elytra, commonly found in stored food products. Larvae are covered in bristly hairs.

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Did You Know?

Forensic entomologists use its presence on remains to help estimate time of death.