What are the tiny shiny blue beetles with red legs?

Likely redlegged ham beetles, a stored product pest.

Can they get into dog food?

Yes; they've become a more common pest in dog food production facilities.

Adults are about 3/16 inch, shiny metallic blue-green, with orange-red legs and red antennae ending in a black club.^[1]
Larvae reach 10 mm, with a dark red-brown head and a pair of small projections at the rear.^[1]

Look-alike	How to tell them apart
Red-shouldered ham beetle	It has a red head, thorax and wing bases.^[1]
Blue bone beetle	Its legs and antennae are black or bluish, not red.^[1]

It's found worldwide.^[1]

US map: public records from 35 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Eggs are laid in clusters in dry cracks near food, and larvae avoid light.^[1]

Adults fly and take off readily when disturbed.^[1]

Larvae infest cheese and dry-cured ham, and the beetle has become a more common pest in U.S. dog food plants.^[1]

It damages stored foods; UF/IFAS mentions no risk to people.^[1]

Manage it like other stored product pests with an integrated approach, finding where the product became infested.^[1]

What are the tiny shiny blue beetles with red legs?: Likely redlegged ham beetles, a stored product pest.^[1]
Can they get into dog food?: Yes; they've become a more common pest in dog food production facilities.^[1]

University of Florida IFAS Extension (Featured Creatures), “Redlegged Ham Beetle, Necrobia rufipes (EENY-811).” edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1426 (accessed 2026-10-06)
iNaturalist, “Necrobia rufipes taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/176817 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-14. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.