60

Beetles and humans

species, and archeology and paleontology show

that this was always the case. Wherever people go,

we carry crops and domestic animals, along with

soil and animal food and bedding, and all these

things carry beetles. Beetles are nature’s recyclers,

and species that have adapted over millions of

years to a certain substrate often don’t differentiate

between a dead branch on a tree and one that has

been carved into a piece of furniture, or animal

remains left by predators and skins or meat

prepared for human use.

As with synanthropic vertebrates such as rats,

mice, and pigeons, it is often the same relatively

few species of beetles that we have carried around

the world over the centuries with migration and

trade. In many cases, these species were with us

for so long that their original geographical

distribution is unknown. The beetles extracted

from the mummies of the pharaohs of ancient

Egypt are often the same species found in Viking

archeological sites, in medieval burials, and as

pests of dried meat products today.

The major limiting factor for beetles in

a human dwelling is that it is very dry,

since it never rains indoors. Many

domestic beetle pests belong to the

superfamily Bostrichoidea, which

seem best able to cope with the

dryness. These include the

family Dermestidae, carpet

beetles and larder beetles,

which feed on dry animal

protein such as woolen blankets

and rugs, dry pet food, and dry

meat and fish. Several genera such

as Anthrenus and Reesa are called

museum beetles, and will also attack

taxidermy and insect collections, where

they can be very destructive. Related beetles

DOMESTIC PESTS

With at least 400,000 species, utilizing most of the

terrestrial habitats of the world, it is not surprising

that a few beetles have adapted to take advantage

of the opportunities offered by human-altered

environments, especially considering the

ever-increasing proportion of the earth’s surface

modified by humans. There are several beetle

species that live in our homes and gardens, eating

the food we store for ourselves or the plants we

cultivate, or even the structure of our houses.

These beetles are called “synanthropic” species

(from the Greek “with people”), but when they

come into conflict with us they are usually just

called pests. Here, we use “domestic pests” to

distinguish those of houses and gardens from

those of agriculture and forestry, which are

discussed elsewhere (see pages 54–59).

Every garden and almost every human

dwelling is shared with at least a few beetle