When black bugs appear in the house, solve the problem with a two-step plan. In Germany, these are often pests that seek after your belongings, spoil supplies or tamper with indoor plants. The specific type of pest determines the correct course of action. You can find out here how to correctly identify black beetles indoors and combat them biologically.

Grain weevils have a long proboscis and prefer to be near grain

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Identify black beetles
  3. Fight black bugs
  4. Beetle pest control tips
  5. control plant pests
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. the essentials in brief

    • The 5 most common black beetles in the house are: flour beetles and grain weevils (storage pests), fur beetles and longhorn beetles (material pests) and rape beetles (plant pests).
    • Storage pests can be combated with heat (60°), cold (-18°), disinfection and disposal of infested food.
    • Organic means against material pests are hot washing, heat (80°-100°), cold (-18°) and oxygen deprivation.
    • Rape beetles as plant pests in the house can be combated with lemon scent, live traps or self-made yellow traps.

    Identify black bugs in the house

    A two-step plan works well in practice when little black bugs are causing a headache in the house. In the first step, a well-founded determination of the species is recommended. With this knowledge, you know exactly what to do as an effective countermeasure. Black beetles in the house can be storage, material or plant pests.

    Black bugs flour beetle grain weevil Black fur beetle house goat rape beetle
    size 10-18mm 2-4mm 3.5-6mm 8-26mm 1.5-2mm
    body shape slender, elongated elongated, stretched elongated, pin-shaped slender, elongated round-oval
    Special feature Elytra with longitudinal grooves long trunk densely hairy gray haired metallic shimmering
    botanical name Tenebrio molitor Sitophilus granarius Attagenus pelli Hylotrupes bajulus Brassicogethes aeneus
    beetle family black beetle weevil bacon beetle longhorn beetle shine beetle
    status in the house storage pest storage pest material pest material pest plant pest

    Not so easy to identify small black beetles that fly around all over the house or only dare to come out of cover at night. For more detailed information, please take a look at the following short species portraits with further information for clear identification.

    Meal Beetle (Tenebrio molitor)

    The flour beetle is found mainly but not only in flour

    Tiny little black flour beetles are after your supplies. Flour, grain and baked goods are very popular with the elongated moonbeetles. If you catch one of the nocturnal pests in the act, you will see numerous longitudinal grooves on the curved elytra, while the frightened beetle flees on its reddish-brown legs.

    Grain weevil (Sitophilus granarius)

    A dark brown to black grain weevil is still tiny, even when it is at its prime. It takes eagle vision or a magnifying glass to spot the weevil's distinctive head extension. Additional distinguishing features are deep grooves on the dark elytra and punctiform indentations on the pronotum. The following video gives an exciting insight into the life of the most feared storage pest in Germany:

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    Black fur beetle (Attagenus pellio)

    The black fur beetle is a widespread material pest. The golden-yellow, 15 mm long larvae primarily set their sights on woolly materials such as furs, carpets or winter sweaters. Dried meat, salami, dried ham, dry sausage, dry dog and cat food are also infested. The black, elongated-oval beetle can be recognized by a pronotum with 3 light spots. The densely hairy elytra are adorned with two bright blemishes. The first seven segments of the antennal segments are reddish.

    House Longhorn (Hylotrupes bajulus)

    The house longhorn causes great damage in wood

    If you see small, black, long, flat beetles in the house, you should not take this encounter lightly. Color and body shape already indicate that the house goat has arrived in your home. Further indications of the identity of the dreaded wood pest are white hairy patches in the front third of the dark elytra and two small bulges in the pronotum.

    Rape beetle (Brassicogethes aeneus)

    Rape beetles can mainly be found in the house when the rape is in bloom. Because the tiny, black beetles like to sit on yellow or white flowers, they quickly catch the eye. If you take a closer look, you can admire the metallic shimmering elytra, which sometimes shimmer dark blue or dark green. The quite short antennae end club-shaped.

    digression

    Gently put pests out the door

    Sometimes little black bugs get lost in the house, fly everywhere and tug at your nerves. This includes the fat, spherical Asian ladybird (Harmonia axyridis), which doesn't always boast of red spots on its shiny black elytra. Various tiny little black head beetles (Malachiidae) get into the apartment and can't find their way out. Insect lovers do not condemn the pests to death, but carry the uninvited guests back outside alive. It is often enough to open windows and balcony doors for a while. Use the glass trick to gently put isolated beetles in front of the door. Simply put a glass over it, slip paper or cardboard under it, carry it outside and release the prisoner into freedom.

    Black bugs indoors - fight pests

    It pays to keep a cool head and first determine the species of beetle that is boldly roaming the house. This immediately results in exactly the right means and measures to combat it. This strategy is more effective, cheaper and more ecologically sensible than inciting headless overkill or swinging the chemical mace. The following table gives an overview of how to biologically control black beetle pests in the house:

    Combat biologically storage pests material pests plant pests
    Means/Method destroy infested food to wash to evict
    How to apply? throw in the organic bin wash at 60° Lemon scents/lemongrass
    Means/Method Heat (60° Celsius) Heat (80° Celsius) collect
    How to apply? 30-45 minutes in the oven 1 hour in the sauna capture with Snapy
    Means/Method Cold (- 18° Celsius) Cold (- 18° Celsius) Build Yellow Trap
    How to apply? Freeze for 24 hours 48-72 hours deep freeze Water-detergent mix
    Means/Method cleaning/disinfection deprive of oxygen
    How to apply? wipe hot with Sagrotan pack airtight

    Combating the immediate infestation only superficially solves the problem. Then go on a search for the cause of the disaster. Flour weevils and grain weevils use your grocery shopping as a gateway. Therefore, check in the store whether there are any pests hidden in the goods. Transfer food to tightly closed storage containers. Textiles from the second-hand shop often have material damage on board.

    tips

    Most small black beetles are excellent flyers. With somnambulist certainty, the insects find out where a window is tilted or a balcony door is open. How disappointing for the winged invaders when they collide with a tightly meshed insect web that prevents them from entering.

    Control pests in supplies and materials - tips & tricks

    If storage pests are suspected, the cupboard and packaged food should be cleaned thoroughly

    In addition to the table above for biological control agents against storage and material pests, we have put together practical tips and tricks for you:

    • Always dispose of clearly infested food in organic waste
    • Only in case of suspicion, disinfect dry supplies in the oven at 60° Celsius on a baking sheet or in a fireproof bowl
    • Alternatively, place suspect foods in the freezer for at least 1 day
    • Vacuum cupboards and drawers with infested supplies, wipe with hot water and disinfect with Sagrotan
    • Wash beetle-infested textiles at at least 60° Celsius (please follow the washing instructions)
    • Deposit carpets, textiles, leather and similar materials in the sauna for 60 minutes at a temperature of at least 80° Celsius
    • Optionally freeze for 2 to 3 days (recommended for sensitive woolen textiles)
    • Pack contaminated items airtight in plastic bags for 2 to 3 weeks

    The thermal control of fur beetles, wood ticks and the like on large objects represents a particular challenge. If you have good contacts with the local master carpenter, you may be able to use the company drying chamber on request. If no sauna is available, expose the affected materials to the blazing summer sun under a foil hood. In cold winter regions with temperatures well below -10° Celsius, you give material pests a real cold shock outside under a tent.

    Fighting tiny oilseed rape beetles as plant pests

    Although oilseed rape beetles prefer wildflowers, they will make do with houseplants in a pinch

    Rape beetles and indoor gardeners will probably never make friends. The tiny creatures often sit as stowaways in wild flowers and forest herbs that they have picked themselves. Cut off from their favorite food, rapeseed, the glossy black beetles take to potted plants on the windowsill indoors. How to combat rape beetles as plant pests without poison:

    • To evict: place lemongrass or aroma lamps with lemon scent in the house, lay out lemon slices
    • capture and release: catch individual bugs with the glass trick or the Snapy live trapping device and release them outside

    If the rape pollen beetle cannot be chased away or caught in the house, the yellow trap comes into play. Fill a small yellow bowl with water and a little dish soap. Place the trap in locations in the home with increased beetle populations. Their preference for the color yellow is fatal for the rape beetles.

    frequently asked Questions

    How can you prevent beetle infestations on supplies?

    Keep storage pests away by storing food in sealed containers. Ideally, you should fill dry food immediately after opening the packaging in Tupperware, such as coffee, sugar, flour or muesli. Freezing is also an effective form of prevention. At the very least, it is advisable to keep stocks as cool as possible in order to keep flour beetles or grain weevils away.

    Are Black Bugs Harmful to Your Health in the House?

    Food infested with storage pests is no longer suitable for consumption. Meal beetles and their larvae can transmit parasites such as dwarf tapeworms. If grain weevils misuse your supplies as a source of food and nursery, there is a risk of consequential damage from mites and mold. In contrast, fur beetles, house longhorns and rape beetles are destructive beasts but do not pose a health risk.

    tips

    Numerous species of bugs can hardly be distinguished from a black beetle, but are completely harmless. A prime example is the black bullet bug (Coptosoma scutellatum). She loves it cozy and warm and likes to be in the house as a winter guest in autumn. Round and thick, 5 mm small, with 6 legs, pronotum and antennae, the bug looks very similar to a black beetle. You can read here why bedbugs have their bad reputation and why they should be distinguished from beetles.

Category:

Animals in the garden