A to Z of Pests

Copra beetle/Red Legged Ham Beetle

Necrobia rufipes

Appearance

• Adults: 4 – 5 mm.
• The upper surfaces of the body are a shiny metallic bluish-green. The underside of the abdomen is dark blue. Their legs are bright reddish-brown or orange. The antennae are reddish–brown with a dark brown or black club at the tip.

Lifecycle

• Females lay up to 30 eggs per day in cracks or crevices of cured fish. The eggs take between four and six days to hatch.
• The larvae will grow for 30 to 140 days, become less active and look for a dark place to pupate.
• The pupal stage varies between 6 and 21 days.
• An adult will mate soon after emerging from its pupal stage and can live for up to 14 months.

Habits

• The adults fly and can therefore easily disperse to new sources of food.
• They are destructive in both the larval and adult stages, although the larval stage is the most destructive.
• They are also cannibalistic, preying on their own eggs and pupae.