Ham beetles (ask for availability)
Ham beetles are on request only! Please send us a message if you are interested, since we prefer to not have them anywhere near our dermestid beetles and won't take them in stock. The red-legged ham beetle (Necrobia rufipes) and the red-shouldered ham beetle (Necrobia ruficollis) are the most common species.
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Both species originate from the Netherlands, Europe.
Fun fact: Dermestid beetles are called "spekkevers" in Dutch. This directly translates to bacon beetles. Not to be confused with these ham beetles.
Adult ham beetles are about 3.5 to 7 mm in size and of both species got a metallic shine to them. Be sure to get an escape-proof enclosure due to their small size. The adult beetles are able to climb smooth plastic, but their larvae can't. The larvae appear more like caterpillars than typical beetle grubs and build silken cocoons to pupate in. Ham beetles thrive on many meat based products and can also feed on some products of plant origin, so they will do fine on a diet of dog food. Adult ham beetles may predate on dermestid beetle larvae, so don't introduce these beetles into a dermestarium. The adults create an acrid smell when grabbed.
Two larvae, the left larva building a pupal chamber:
A pupa:
