Question: I have these little bugs, mostly in the kitchen on the counters.
The counter is covered every morning with these little (about 1/8 of an
inch)bugs. They have a hard shell, they dont move very fast and have six
little legs. I put some in a ziplock baggy at 6 a.m and at 5 p.m they
were still alive. Would you have an idea of what kind of bug these are?
I live in west central ohio.
ANSWER Probably what you have seen in the cabinets is one of the species of beetles that infest flour and grain products. This group of beetles is sometimes called Stored Product beetles. There are several species, including the saw-toothed grain beetle, drugstore beetle, confused flour beetle, and cigarette beetle.
Stored Product beetles are common in households, but sometimes their numbers increase dramatically. They will infest a variety of food material, including flour, mixes, spices, noodles, cereals, dry pet foods, and other grain or flour-based material. They often spread to other locations in the kitchen, sometimes far away from an apparent food source.
The best control is to remove everything from the cabinets. Inspect all the packages, and discard all of the infested food. Then vacuum the cabinets very well. As much as possible, store food in sealed containers.
