As its name suggests, the drugstore beetle has a tendency to feed on pharmacological products, this is from its preference of dried herbs and plant material sometimes used as drugs, e.g. drugstore beetles have been known to feed on strychnine, a highly toxic herbal extract. It can also feed on a diverse range of dried foods and spices, as well as hair, leather, books, and museum specimens. It can bore into furniture and in some cases tin foil or sheets of lead. The drugstore beetle is also known as the biscuit or bread beetle since it can happily live on biscuit or bread crumbs.