Bug FAQDusky Sap Beetle
Carpophilus lugubris · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Nitidulidae
Source: Wikipedia
The dusky sap beetle is a small brown beetle with orange-tinged wing covers and measures about 3.3 to 4.5 mm long. It goes through the usual four beetle stages, egg, larva, pupa and adult, and can live up to 300 days as an adult. Adults feed on fruit juices, fungi, pollen and even undamaged corn, making them a threat to many crops.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle’s elytra are brown with orange coloration. Males have depressions on each side of the pygidium.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are 3.3 to 4.5 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Because it can attack undamaged fruits and vegetables, the genus Carpophilus is a major threat to economic crops.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
- Insecticides are not usually applied specifically for this beetle, but they can work when targeting other pests.
- A more effective method is to harvest crops promptly so that leftover produce does not provide food for overwintering beetles.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It feeds mainly on fruit secretions but also consumes fungi, decaying fruit and pollen. It can also eat undamaged fruits, with corn being a primary food source.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Its diet includes fruit juices, fungi, decaying fruit and pollen. It also feeds on undamaged fruits and corn.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females lay eggs on corn silk, and a generation can develop in 2 to 4 days.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults can live up to about 300 days. The beetle overwinters underground during its pupal and adult stages.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America, occurring throughout southern Canada, the United States and into South America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Utah, Kansas, New Mexico, California, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Colorado, Illinois.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How long can an adult dusky sap beetle live?
An adult can survive for up to about 300 days.
Source: Wikipedia
What crops does the dusky sap beetle damage?
It damages fruits, vegetables and especially corn by feeding on them.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I reduce dusky sap beetles in my garden?
Harvest crops promptly so that no fruit is left behind for the beetles to overwinter on.
Source: Wikipedia
What are the identifying marks of a male dusky sap beetle?
Males have depressions on each side of the pygidium.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nitidulidae)
Common Pollen BeetleBrassicogethes aeneusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Four-spotted Sap BeetleGlischrochilus quadrisignatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Picnic BeetleGlischrochilus fasciatus
Small Hive BeetleAethina tumidaCan damage your home
Dried Fruit BeetleCarpophilus hemipterus
Colopterus truncatusCan spread germs or diseaseSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpophilus_lugubris
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.