Many small black beetles in the house and garden raise questions. Is it a serious pest infestation, a visit from long-awaited beneficial insects or a flying visit? An expert determination of the beetle species gives the answer. This guide introduces you to common black beetles with pictures and powerful identification clues.

Fur beetles like to nibble on our supplies

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Determine in the house
  3. determine outside
  4. frequently asked Questions

    5. the essentials in brief

    • Common small black beetles in the house are: grain weevil, flour beetle, fur beetle, house longhorn and black bacon beetle
    • Small black beetles in the garden go by the names of vine weevil, timber bark beetle, Asian lady beetle, pollen beetle and black water squirrel.
    • Small black bugs cannot bite or sting and are not poisonous to humans.

    Identify small black bugs in the house

    Are little black bugs just making a quick courtesy visit to your home, or do you have a pest problem in mind? Answer to the question gives a correct determination of the beetle species. The following table gives first indications of the identity of five common black beetles in the home:

    Small black bugs inside grain weevil flour beetle fur beetle house goat Black bacon beetle
    size 2-4mm 10-18mm 3.5-6mm 8-26mm 7-9mm
    body shape elongated elongated elongated oval slim twice as long as wide
    Airworthy yes/no no Yes Yes Yes conditional
    Where to find in the kitchen in the flour, in the kitchen in the room/closet in wood, in furniture in the house, in supplies
    Special feature long trunk Elytra with longitudinal grooves with white dots with 2 pairs of white dots dark hairy
    botanical name Sitophilus granarius Tenebrio molitor Attagenus pelli Hylotrupes bajulus Dermestes ater

    The following short portraits provide in-depth information on the five most common black beetle species in the home.

    Grain weevil (Sitophilus granarius)

    Fully grown grain weevils are still tiny. You need a magnifying glass to find the long trunk as a head extension with a powerful mouthpart. The black body is elongated and decorated with distinctive grooves and bright spots. There are no longer functional wings under the elytra.

    • Where to find indoors: in the kitchen on grains of all kinds, preferably rye, on pasta, in dried vegetables
    • When to find: All year round

    Meal Beetle (Tenebrio molitor)

    Flour beetles, true to their name, are often found in flour

    From the mealybug family, the tiny flour beetle specializes in human stores, which contain plenty of starch. Bakeries have declared the nocturnal black beetle their number one enemy. Arched, black elytra with longitudinal grooves and red-brown legs reveal the name of the storage pest.

    • Where to find it: in flour, grain and baked goods
    • When to find: All year round

    Fur beetle (Attagenus pellio)

    The fur beetle is unpopular in apartments and warehouses because its larvae devour textiles, furs, dried meat, sausages and dog food. The elongated-oval black beetle is densely hairy and has three light hairy spots on the pronotum, in addition to white spots on the elytra.

    • Where to find indoors: in living rooms, pantries, in wardrobes
    • When to find: all year round in the house, from April to September in the garden

    House Longhorn (Hylotrupes bajulus)

    The house longhorn causes great damage in wooden furniture

    If elongated, black beetles with long antennae, white spots and two bulges in the pronotum appear in the apartment, there is good cause for concern. Another clue to the profile of the woodworm is lighter antennae and legs. The highest priority for control measures is when there are piles of drill dust in the house because longhorns and larvae are eating through the wood of the roof truss or furniture.

    • Where to find indoors: in the house, in the wood
    • When to find: All year round

    digression

    Little Black Bugs or Cockroaches?

    If dark beetle shapes scurry around the apartment at night, you should not take the encounter lightly. Cockroaches look confusingly similar to small black bugs. Because the beasts sprint through the house at top speed, the frightened viewer misses important clues as to the actual identity of the dangerous vermin. German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) and oriental cockroaches (Blatta orientalis) love humid and warm conditions in the bathroom, in the basement and in the kitchen. Look out for brown eggs, transparent cocoons, and crumbs of droppings here as important clues to the presence of cockroaches in your immediate living environment.

    Black bacon beetle (Dermestes ater)

    The black beetle is representative of more than 60 species of beetle in Central Europe. The little black beetle is a dreaded material pest in private homes and public buildings.

    • Where to find it: hides, leather, jerky, kibble
    • When to find: All year round

    Identify small black bugs outside

    In most cases, small black bugs in the garden are a cause for joy. Gardeners close to nature know that every insect makes an important contribution to the ecological balance of nature. Sometimes a dark beetle sneaks into the bed, which nibbles on plants and is not welcome. The following table details five common black beetle species that like to be found in the garden:

    Little black bugs outside vine weevil Timber Bark Beetle Asian ladybug pollen beetle Black diver
    size 8-10mm 2-2.5mm 4-8mm 1-2mm 1 mm
    body shape oblong-oval cylindrical spherical oval elongated, narrow
    Airworthy yes/no no yes (female) Yes Yes no
    Where to find in the garden in the wood in the garden, on plants in the garden, on yellow flowers in the pond, in the pool
    Special feature ridged tank orange feelers with yellow dots shiny metallic jumping midgets
    botanical name Otiorhynchus sulcatus Xyleborus germanus Harmonia axyridis Meligethes aeneus Podura aquatica

    Did the information in this table put you on the right track as to which beetle has floated into your garden? Then please consult the following short portraits with further information for a precise determination.

    Vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus)

    You don't have to see a vine weevil live to guess its presence in the garden. Beech-shaped feeding damage to plant leaves is a typical indication that Germany's worst weevil was at work here. Its black carapace is dotted with dark brown spots. Thighs with a thickened center are conspicuous. Weevils that are active at dusk are persistent migrants and thus compensate for their inability to fly.

    • Where to find: in the garden on roses, rhododendrons, thuja, firethorn, cherry laurel, lilac
    • When to find: May to October

    Have you been able to identify small black beetles in the garden as vine weevils? Then please take a look at the following video with useful tips for successful combat without poison:

    youtube

    Timber bark beetle (Xyleborus germanus)

    Its name refers to a strong preference for fresh, felled wood. While the dreaded bark beetle concentrates on infesting the bark, the timber bark beetle bores up to 3 cm deep into the sapwood. The wood pest can be recognized by its black shell with a violet shimmer and orange antennae.

    • Where to find outdoors: in the garden on stored firewood, on pines and spruces in the lower trunk area
    • When to find: March to September

    Asian ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)

    The Asian ladybug was introduced as a beneficial insect at the end of the 20th century because it eats large quantities of aphids. Due to its explosive multiplication, the spherical, small black beetle is a frequent guest in German gardens. Hallmarks are yellow or orange dots on the shiny elytra. However, the points can also be missing.

    • Where to find outdoors: On plants, often near aphid colonies
    • When to find: April to October/November, also all year round in the mild winter

    tips

    Did you know that ladybug larvae bite? Beneficial insects have powerful mouthparts to eat aphids, scale insects and other plant pests. If curious people get too close to the larvae, they can feel their teeth.

    Pollen beetle (Meligethes aeneus)

    The pollen beetle is vanishingly small

    There must be many very small black beetles for the pollen beetle to catch the hobby gardener's eye at all. Despite a size of 1 to 2 mm, the shiny metallic beetle is tough. From a cool air temperature of 10° Celsius, the dwarf goes in search of food and prefers to fly to cruciferous plants.

    • Where to find outdoors: on rapeseed, coltsfoot, dandelion and yellow flowers
    • When to find: March to June

    Black diver (Podura aquatica)

    Black, scaled body, six short legs and a 1mm small body suggest that the Black Dipper is a beetle. In fact, it is a member of the springtail (Collembola) family. Because many small black beetles are already taking up the garden, the tiny lightweight has specialized on water surfaces. A fork-shaped tail serves as a spring, with the help of which the insects can jump several centimeters over the water.

    • Where to find it outside: in the pond, in the pool, on the water surface
    • When to find: spring to autumn

    frequently asked Questions

    Many small black bugs sit in the dog's fur. Which ones can that be?

    We haven't had the deer louse fly for long

    In the course of global warming, the dark deer louse fly (Lipoptena cervi) is on the rise and is causing considerable headaches, primarily for dog owners. The black insect is tiny with a length of 3-5 mm and at first sight reminds of a small beetle or a tick with wings. Deer, deer, horses and loose dogs are flown to. The beasts bite into the skin and suck blood.

    How to prevent small black bugs in the apartment?

    Fly screens on windows, patio and balcony doors are an effective way of preventing flying black beetles. Material pests, such as fur beetles, often get into the house via used goods. Do not buy second-hand clothing or have the textiles dry cleaned immediately after purchase. Storage pests find their way into the kitchen and pantry as stowaways from food packaging. Immediately transfer food to glass and plastic containers or freeze the food.

    tips

    The good news is, small black bugs don't bite or sting. If you are tormented by tiny insects in bed, bed bugs or fleas are the culprits. You can read here how to accurately identify and successfully combat the infamous vermin.

Category:

Animals in the garden