(Necrobia rufipes)
Biology:
The red-legged ham beetle is also known as the “copra beetle”, as its diet consists primarily of copra (dried coconut meat) and products of animal origin such as ham, sausage, cheese, hides, skins, fish meal, dried egg and others. The shiny green-blue, flying beetle is 4 to 7 mm long. Legs and the base of the antennae are red in color. The slender larvae are initially white, later gray-brown and grow up to 10 mm long. Adult larvae migrate to a dry, dark place to pupate in an oval paper-like cocoon. The larvae can also overwinter in unheated rooms.
The beetle is found particularly frequently near harbors, as it is primarily introduced by ships.
Damage:
Damage is mainly caused by the voracious larvae, which feed on copra, products of animal origin, but also on plant materials such as dried fruit or expellers. The beetles themselves eat little, but like the larvae, they like to prey on the larvae of other insects such as bacon beetle, cheese fly and rice flour beetle larvae.
