Drugstore Beetle vs Tropical Warehouse Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Drugstore Beetle Tropical Warehouse Moth
Scientific Name Stegobium paniceum Ephestia cautella
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Ptinidae Pyralidae
Size 2-4 mm 8-12 mm body; 15-22 mm wingspan
Habitat Indoors Indoors
Diet Detritivores Fruit Feeders
Regions Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, Oceania Tropical and subtropical regions worldwide
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Drugstore Beetle

A stored product pest once found infesting pharmaceutical herb collections.

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Did You Know?

It has been found feeding on materials as diverse as leather and strychnine.

Tropical Warehouse Moth

A common pest of stored products in tropical and subtropical warehouses. Its larvae produce frass and webbing that contaminate large quantities of stored commodities.

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Did You Know?

It is the most economically damaging moth pest of stored cocoa beans in West Africa.