Glabrous cabinet beetle (Trogoderma glabrum).

Glabrous cabinet beetle, Trogoderma glabrum (Herbst), is a small, oval dermestid. Adults are dark brown to nearly black, 2.0–4.2 mm long, with elytra clothed in bi- to tricolored pubescence (in contrast, most congeners show unicolored or bicolored elytral pubescence). Antennae terminate in a compact club; wings are well developed and adults fly readily. Larvae are slightly ovoid and densely pubescent. Early instars are yellow-whitish, gradually turning reddish-brown with age. The terminal abdominal segments carry dense tufts of setae forming setal brushes.

In storage, only the larvae cause injury. They first attack the germ (embryo), then tunnel through the endosperm (albumen) and along the bran layers. Feeding is internal, creating pinholes and galleries, powdery frass, and cast larval exuviae; kernels become hollowed, brittle, and easily broken. Consequences include weight loss, reduced test weight, contamination of lots, and severe loss of germination due to embryo destruction; infestations also predispose grain to secondary pests and molds. Adults do not injure grain; they feed on nectar and pollen. Left unmanaged, infestations downgrade grain quality and market value.

Infestation indicators for the glabrous cabinet beetle, Trogoderma glabrum (Herbst), in stored grain: - Larval exuviae (cast skins): brittle, straw‑to‑brown tubular skins bearing setae, accumulating in grain dust, seams, and on the surface—evidence of successive molts. - Insect frass: fine powder and pelletized droppings intermixed with grain fines and broken fragments, often forming localized patches. - Cadaveric odor: a strong, carrion‑like, putrid smell emanating from infested pockets, characteristic of dermestid activity.

Trogoderma glabrum (glabrous cabinet beetle) is a holometabolous dermestid of stored grain. After mating, females oviposit singly on or adjacent to the food resource. Eggs hatch to active, setose larvae that feed within the commodity and pass through several instars. If conditions are unfavorable (e.g., suboptimal temperature or moisture), late‑instar larvae can enter facultative diapause, pausing development until conditions improve. Pupation occurs in a protected cell within the food mass or nearby crevices. The teneral adult emerges, sclerotizes, mates, and renews oviposition. In warm storage environments the species is typically multivoltine, enabling rapid population buildup and damage.

Preferred environment: stored-product sites—granaries and flour mills, occasionally dwellings—with bulk-stored cereals (wheat, maize); infestations concentrate in the upper layers of the grain mass.

Other species of the genus Trogodermato.