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Drugstore beetle #786426

Asked April 11, 2022, 10:23 AM EDT

Information would be great. I live in HUD housing in Park Rapids, MN. Last spring I moved from one apartment to another.. In my old apartment I did NOT have this problem. As the summer went on, while sitting in my lazyboy recliner I started to itch severely. I moved to my bed and the same. I thoroughly went through my couch and bed, to check for bed bugs, and it wasn't them. I notified my manager of the situation. He wanted to use Ortho bug begone, but none was available, so he used RAID on all the baseboards. At that time I still could not sit in my recliner, due to the factor of itching & rash. In the fall he said that he would have the professional look at it. The maintenance man laid down phermone strips that Terminex provided. It took a month before they came back and another month to read it. The teminex man had their entomologist identitfy the bug which turned out to be a drugstore beetle. The previous tennant had a cat. In December I was told by a housing specialist that the manager said that the terminex person had time ( while I was in a couseling meeting, that I told management that I wanted to be present when terminex was going to spray. I found this rather suspicious due to the fact the manager doesn't do things that he says he does, I don't trust that the apartment was sprayed). To this day I cannot sit in my recliner and is there a way to find out if in fact my apartment was sprayed. I got an MSDS Paper from terminex, they said that they were going to spray with "ALPINE WSG - dinotefuran... made by BASF CORPORATION. Spring is fast approaching, humidity levels in this apartment are going to be an ideal area for reinfestation, if the apartment was not sprayed. The terminex man stated that the apartment should be sprayed due to the fact, that I was having an allergic reaction. According to information, drugstore beetles adults do not harm people, but, my concern is when the pest is in the larvae stage. What is the best solution to this problem. I do not trust management. The maintenance man thinks they flew in, while I told him that they were in the carpet. When we put down the phermone strips, he put them on shelving, I later put them on the ground and earmarked them as to the location of the pests. They were found in the bedroom and living room by my chair. To this day, I cannot sit in my chair, without a rash/ itching develping. What can you suggest. I have since purchased a de-humidifier to keep the humidity below 40%, keeoing my apartment in dry conditions. Any suggestions, is there a way I can test? Thomas La Fleur

Hubbard County Minnesota

Expert Response

Following is an exhaustive discussion of insect and non-insect caused irritations that may help you determine what's causing your symptoms and how to prevent it.

We are unable to evaluate the reliability or sufficiency of the services provided by your building management and pest control company.

However, due to your symptoms' persistence, it might help to consult a physician, if you haven't already done that.

https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef649
An Ask Extension Expert Replied April 11, 2022, 9:07 PM EDT

Dear Sir or Madam:

Other than the rant that I previously posted.  WIth your substantial technical knowledge and professionalism; what is the lifecyle of the drugstore beetle larva.  Which foods do they eat, and at which stage do they not become harmful to humans.

Could you provide this information.

Thomas

The Question Asker Replied April 12, 2022, 12:28 PM EDT
According to the following publication, drugstore "beetles are very general feeders that attack a great variety of stored foods, seeds, and other materials, and they reportedly 'eat anything except cast iron.' Their food includes practically all dry plant and animal products."

Also, see information about the beetle's life history in the following publication.

https://extension.psu.edu/drugstore-beetle 

Drugstore beetles and their larvae do not bite or otherwise harm people, but we suppose an allergic reaction to their presence is a possibility.
An Ask Extension Expert Replied April 12, 2022, 3:18 PM EDT

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