Red-legged Ham Beetle (Necrobia rufipes)

A Key Pest of Dried Meat, Crops, and Agricultural Products

The Red-legged Ham Beetle (Necrobia rufipes) is a small but highly destructive beetle that attacks a wide range of dried agricultural commodities, particularly during post-harvest storage. Found especially in warehouses, this pest is known to infest dried coconut, dried shrimp, dried fruits, legumes, dried fish, and various other dehydrated goods. Despite its small size of just 4–5 mm, infestations can rapidly and severely compromise product quality.

Basic Information

• Common Name: Red-legged Ham Beetle
• Scientific Name:Necrobia rufipes (De Geer)
• Family: Cleridae
• Order: Coleoptera

Morphological Features

• Forewings: Hardened elytra
• Hindwings: Transparent membrane

Life Cycle (Complete Metamorphosis)

• 400–1,000 eggs per female
• Laid in groups in product crevices
• Incubation: 4–5 days

• Grayish-purple larvae
• Development time: 20–40 days

• Duration: 5–7 days

• Lifespan: ~6 months
• Total life cycle: 30–60 days

Feeding Habits & Damage

Commonly Infested Products:

• Dried coconut
• Dried fruits
• Legumes and seeds
• Dried fish, shrimp, squid
• Animal hides and bone meal
• Ham, bacon, cheese
• Processed dried plant materials

Damage Characteristics:

• Larvae tunnel into dried goods, creating holes and cavities
• Adults feed externally, chewing the surface
• Leads to severe degradation of quality and market value
• Prefers warm, poorly ventilated storage environments

Global Distribution

• Widely found across tropical and temperate regions
• Infestations occur year-round in warm climates
• Frequently observed in long-term storage facilities or warehouses with poor humidity control

Prevention & Control Measures

✅ Physical and Cultural Controls:

• Temperature management: Apply heat or deep freezing to disrupt the life cycle
• Moisture control: Maintain low humidity levels in stored goods
• Hotspot management: Isolate and dispose of infested products
• Storage timing: Avoid excessive storage duration of raw materials

✅ Chemical & Biological Controls:

• Treat raw materials before storage
• Apply to rejected goods to prevent further spread

• Capture adults for monitoring
• Serve as early detection tools in storage facilities

✅ Conclusion

The Red-legged Ham Beetle (Necrobia rufipes) may be small in size but poses a major threat to the quality and value of dried agricultural products like coconut, seafood, and spices. Effective control requires an integrated approach—from pre-harvest sanitation and monitoring, to controlled storage conditions and pheromone-based detection—ensuring product safety across the entire supply chain.