Continued
The larvae have a strong tendency to remain in dark places. Just before the larvae pupate they begin to migrate, and are often encountered by homeowners at this time. These older larvae often bore into materials such as wood, cork, or insulation looking for a place to pupate. The pupal period lasts about 15 days. The adults mate soon after emerging and eggs are laid near a food source. If conditions are ideal, a generation may be completed in 40-50 days.

Damage and Habitat:
Major damage occurs from larval feeding and the boring of the larvae before pupation. Larder beetles will attack stored ham, bacon, other meats, cheeses, tobacco, dried fish, dried museum specimens, and pet foods, for example. All of these conditions are available in, meat processing plants, renderers, butchers, fishmongers, delicatessen counters in supermarkets and, of course, beneath and behind cookers and refrigerators in the kitchen of a domestic dwelling. The larvae will bore into any commodity containing meat products; they have also been known to bore into structural timbers. Tests have shown that they can bore into lead with ease and tin with some difficulty. The boring is for the purpose of providing a protected place for pupation, not for feeding. The picture below shows damage to timber caused by larder beetle larvae boring in to pupate.

Click here to continue