them by putting out large yellow sticky

traps to capture the adults.

Members of the genus Carpophilus,

feeding on dry fruit, are pests of

products such as dates, figs, and

raisins, and have been spread

throughout the world with trade.

Some members of the genus Stelidota

can attack fresh fruit crops. Some

other species are pests of commercial

mushroom farms, or of beehives,

but the vast majority of species live

inconspicuously in the forests and grasslands

of the world. Unlike many cucujoid groups,

Nitidulidae can be quite species-rich in temperate

countries. For example, almost a hundred different

species are found in Britain alone.

are pests of many ornamental and crop

plants. Some species, such as the originally

Japanese Cybocephalus nipponicus, have

been spread throughout the world as

biological control agents of scale insects

on olives and other crops

above | Cyllodes An unidentified species

of Cyllodes from tropical Asia. One

member of this large genus, C. bifascies,

is a pest of oyster mushrooms.

opposite | Aethina tumida The Small

Hive Beetle is an African species that

is a serious emerging pest of beehives

throughout the world.

right | Glischrochilus japonicus Showing its

impressive mandibles; up to 1 cm long,

this northeast Asian species is one of the

largest Nitidulidae.