When a beetle strays into the apartment, the first shock is often great. Is it a harmless insect or a malicious pest? By determining the species, you can take appropriate action.
Table of Contents
Common green and red beetles
Green and red bugs are a rarity in the home. Nevertheless, the following two specimens in particular regularly occur in the living area. You can use the following information to determine this.
Rapskäfer (Brassicogethes aeneus)
- official name: rape pollen beetle
- up to 2 mm in size
- shiny metallic armor
- different colors: green, blue or violet
- oval body shape
- little hairs on the wings
- Legs and antennae brown in color
- distributed throughout Europe, Asia, North Africa and North America
- feed on cruciferous vegetables
- significant damage to agriculture
Rothalsbock (Stictoleptura rubra)
- other names red collared beetle or longhorn beetle
- between 10 and 20 mm long
- strong differences between the sexes
- easy confusion with other species
- Females are reddish brown with a black head, antennae of medium length
- Males are smaller and slimmer, partly yellow in colour
- preferred nutrition of pollen and flower parts
- widespread in large parts of Europe
- introduced into North America
Common brown beetles
The brown insects are more widespread. If you come across a brown beetle in your apartment or house, there is a good chance that it is one of the following four specimens. With the characteristics described, you can precisely determine the species.
Brown fur beetle (Attagenus smirnovi)
- comes from the genus of fur beetles
- prefers to live in houses and apartments
- often on home textiles such as carpets
- up to 4 mm in size
- dark brown head and neck
- light brown elytra with dense hairs
- is of course from Africa
- meanwhile also established in Germany
Brotkäfer (Stegobium paniceum)
- popularly known as the bookworm
- up to three millimeters long
- red-brown coloring of the whole body
- have a chitin armor
- oval body
- densely hairy wings
- Longitudinal rows with dots on the wings
- very common in Europe
- occurs almost exclusively in residential areas
- occur all year round
- feed on baked goods and spices
- tends to be lively in the kitchen
Kornkäfer (Sitophilus granarius)
- comes from the Near East
- most widespread pest for cereals in Europe
- between 2.5 and 5 mm long
- elongated body
- light brown coloring at the beginning
- gets darker and darker with age
- Proboscis thicker in males than in females
- large pronotum with indentations
- flightless beetles
- occurs worldwide
- infest rye, barley, wheat, corn and many other grains
Parkettkäfer (Lyctus linearis)
- belong to the genus Lyctus
- damages wooden furniture and parquet floors
- native to Central Europe
- fresh wood is not affected
- Larvae eat through wood
- between 2.5 and 5 mm long
- long body with reddish-dark brown coloring
- no breastplate
- dotted elytra with hairs
- small tooth on the head
- also occurs in North America
- Development of the larvae from wood moisture content of 7-8%
- determine first, then fight with hot air
Common black and dark beetles
In addition, black and dark specimens are widespread. In order to determine these, you will find below four common beetles that keep finding their way into the apartment.
Dickmaulrüssler (Otiorhynchus)
- many kinds of agricultural pests
- feed on leaves, buds and shoots
- dark black colour, rarely yellow colour
- powerfully developed proboscis
- active at dusk or at night
- over 1000 species of the genus
- between 3-14 mm long
- hairless and uneven back
- widespread in Europe, Asia and North Africa
- Damage occurs from April to October
Common fur beetle (Attagenus pellio)
- known as the common or spotted fur beetle
- between 3.6 and 6 mm in size
- black colored body
- dense hairs, light in places
- large spot in the middle of the wings
- worldwide distribution
- common occurrence near humans
- often damage to textiles, carpets or leather
Flour beetles
- wormy appearance
- commonly referred to as mealworms
- Larvae and beetles damage supplies
- Beetles between 10 and 18 mm long
- long knitted body and flat head
- darker and darker over the course of life, black coloring is the goal
- spread worldwide
- prefer warm and dark places
- eat grain products and flour
Anthropus scrophulariae
- most common pest in human dwellings
- up to 4.5 millimeters in size
- visual resemblance to ladybugs
- Worldwide occurrence, except cold regions
- in Europe from May to July in the wild, all year round with humans
- black base color, different colored scales
- red scales on the elytra
- red pronotum, rarely yellow coloring
- the larvae of the beetles are densely hairy
