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Picnic Beetle
(John Obermeyer, Purdue University)

Common Name: Picnic Beetle

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Nitidulidae

Pest Status: Picnic beetles are nuisance pests but can also cause damage to ripe fruits and vegetables.

Appearance: Picnic beetle adults are 1/4-inch long and black with four orange-red spots on the wing covers.

Life Cycle: Adults emerge in the spring and mate. The females lay their eggs in late spring and the larvae develop on food sources. They leave their food when mature and wander through the soil to pupate. The entire cycle lasts about a month.

Where to Collect: Picnic beetles prefer damaged plants and decomposing plant tissue. They can congregate on screen doors, around garbage cans, in backyards, around picnic areas, and at roadside vegetable stands.