Black beetles in the basement
A black beetle that is found relatively often in home cellars could be the so-called mold beetle. This occurs wherever mold or whose spores can be found, for example in the basement, but also outdoors. But how can you recognize this animal and what options are there to combat it?
What you need:
- Glue traps
- Preparations with fossil plankton
- Preparations with water-repellent, natural silica
- Bug sprays with neem or tea tree oil
Features and occurrences of this black or brown beetle
- The numerous species of mold beetle are colored differently. Most of them, however, have dark or black and brown colors. It is between 1.2 and 2.4 mm in size. The elytra, which are much wider than the pronotum, are marked by longitudinal lines.
- These animals can be found anywhere where there is relatively high humidity and there are therefore molds or mold spores. This can be in dried up plant remains, bird nests, under loose tree bark, but also in apartments or Basements or storage rooms. In new buildings they can also be found on damp plaster or mortar. Both the larvae and the Beetle themselves feed on mold.
Prevention and control in the basement
- Prevention is the best way to avoid these black bugs. To do this, you should, for example, pay attention to the humidity both in the basement and in the relevant storage rooms. This should not be more than 65% both in the relevant room and within the stored goods, if available.
- It is best to do this regularly Ventilation of the basement. It is also advisable to dry out damp areas well. Under optimal conditions, these beetles usually disappear on their own or they perish.
- In order to be able to determine an infestation unequivocally, it is advisable to lay out appropriate adhesive traps. The beetles then stick to it, and it can be determined exactly whether it is actually the mold beetle or perhaps another insect. Accordingly, you can then choose the appropriate means of combating it.
- The trade offers different preparations against this beetle. Preparations with the active ingredient fossil plankton damage the wax layer on the body surface. As a result, the animal dries up. Preparations containing water-repellent, natural silica have the same effect. You have to apply these mostly powdery products where the beetles might be hiding. Such pesticides should be safe for humans and pets.
- There are also insect sprays for the living area, including neem and tea tree oil, as well as other non-toxic vermin sprays. Even if many of these agents are non-toxic, they must not come into contact with food.
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