The larder beetle has a black body that is 1/8 inch long with a stripe of dull yellow across the wing covers (elytra), which are also covered in hair. Larvae are 1/2 inch long, dark, and hairy.

Larder beetle adults can overwinter in sheltered places outdoors and indoors Females are attracted to dead insects and spoiled meats, where they lay their eggs. Larvae feed until pupation. They can bore into products, containers, and even wood for shelter.

Larder beetles are commercial and household pests that feed on animal by-products, such as pet foods, cured meats, museum specimens, furs, hides, and dead insect matter.