The Red-legged ham beetle of the checkered beetle family can be recognized from its red legs against its greenish-blue body. The name ‘ham beetle’ was given to them since they were detected on hams in smokehouses. It has been a popularly documented pest to dried meat and copra or dried coconut since 1925, both as a larva and an adult. Swedish entomologist Charles de Geer described them in 1775. It is related to both the black-legged ham beetle and red-shouldered ham beetle. However, neither is as destructive as this one.
Size: 3.5–7.0 mm (0.1–0.3 in)
Color: Their body color varies from metallic-green to greenish-blue, with dark red legs and antennae.
Other Characteristic Features: They have three distinct regions on their oval-shaped, elongated body. Their elytra are covered with nine rows of tiny hairs. The antennae with eleven segments have an extended club towards the tip. Females have more prominent hair on their wing covers than males.
They measure about 10 mm (0.4 inches), having a long, cylindrical membranous body. The larvae appear red with pale mustard-colored legs. Their head and the last body segment are brown.
They pupate in a relatively dry and secluded spot. Their cocoons are made of silk, incorporating food particles as camouflage.
The females lay between 100 and 3000, hatching in 4 to 8 days. Several factors affect the egg-laying process, including temperature, quality of food consumed, and humidity.
The eggs are deposited in small cracks to prevent other red-legged ham beetles from eating them.
| Other names | Copra beetle |
| Lifespan | 36-150 days |
| Distribution | Native: Africa Invasive: Worldwide |
| Habitat | Warm tropical environments, like garbage dumps and food processing plants |
| Common Predators | None recorded |
| Seasons active | In northern parts of the world, it can be seen in summer; in the southern parts, the rest of the year |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Dried fish, egg, coconut, yolk, figs, the skins, and bones of dead animals, cheese, bacon, palm nut kernels, guano, the eggs and larvae of some flies, and its own species. |
The adults tend to be surface feeders causing minor damage, but the larva bore through the food and other items doing greater harm.
Image Source: a4.pbase.com, bugguide.net, live.staticflickr.com, live.staticflickr.com,
The Red-legged ham beetle of the checkered beetle family can be recognized from its red legs against its greenish-blue body. The name ‘ham beetle’ was given to them since they were detected on hams in smokehouses. It has been a popularly documented pest to dried meat and copra or dried coconut since 1925, both as a larva and an adult. Swedish entomologist Charles de Geer described them in 1775. It is related to both the black-legged ham beetle and red-shouldered ham beetle. However, neither is as destructive as this one.
Size: 3.5–7.0 mm (0.1–0.3 in)
Color: Their body color varies from metallic-green to greenish-blue, with dark red legs and antennae.
Other Characteristic Features: They have three distinct regions on their oval-shaped, elongated body. Their elytra are covered with nine rows of tiny hairs. The antennae with eleven segments have an extended club towards the tip. Females have more prominent hair on their wing covers than males.
They measure about 10 mm (0.4 inches), having a long, cylindrical membranous body. The larvae appear red with pale mustard-colored legs. Their head and the last body segment are brown.
They pupate in a relatively dry and secluded spot. Their cocoons are made of silk, incorporating food particles as camouflage.
The females lay between 100 and 3000, hatching in 4 to 8 days. Several factors affect the egg-laying process, including temperature, quality of food consumed, and humidity.
The eggs are deposited in small cracks to prevent other red-legged ham beetles from eating them.
| Other names | Copra beetle |
| Lifespan | 36-150 days |
| Distribution | Native: Africa Invasive: Worldwide |
| Habitat | Warm tropical environments, like garbage dumps and food processing plants |
| Common Predators | None recorded |
| Seasons active | In northern parts of the world, it can be seen in summer; in the southern parts, the rest of the year |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Dried fish, egg, coconut, yolk, figs, the skins, and bones of dead animals, cheese, bacon, palm nut kernels, guano, the eggs and larvae of some flies, and its own species. |
The adults tend to be surface feeders causing minor damage, but the larva bore through the food and other items doing greater harm.
Image Source: a4.pbase.com, bugguide.net, live.staticflickr.com, live.staticflickr.com,
