Abstract
The red-legged ham beetle or the copra beetle, Necrobia rufipes (De Geer) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) has been recorded in parts of Asia, Africa, and the USA; there are unconfirmed records in former USSR and Poland (CABI 2018) and Brazil (Gredilha and Lima 2007). Adults are approximately 3.5 – 7mm long, iridescent, dark bluish-green with reddish-brown legs (Anon. 2015). There are 3-4 larval instars with a total duration of 35-130 days, while the pupal stage is much shorter and last 6-9 days. The total life cycle lasts 36-150 days and is highly temperature, humidity and food quality dependent (Anon. 2015). Both larval and adult N. rufipes have been recorded as predators of other stored product pests but are predominantly a pest of stored food, meat and animal products, such as copra, ham, dried fish, and mummies (Lambkin and Khatoon 1990).
