Be careful of your beetle identifications.  Dermestid beetle adults of many species feed on pollen, or whey, or flour, etc.  Some species are used to clean bones - so the family includes lots of species, some who feed on carrion, some on plants, etc.


Flour products from the grocery store may even have dermestids - once in dry food products, they can be a real problem to get rid of in the home.  Years ago, we moved into a new apartment complex.  Shortly after, we found dermestids in cocoa, flour, and cereal.  Either from the store or a neighbor.  We ended up putting all dry goods like bulk floor and cereal in snap lid containers for about 2 years before we no longer saw any of these pests. Arguably, they added protein to the dry goods, but my wife didn't buy that rationalization.


So, if you see beetles in your pollen substitute or patty before you put it on the bees, it may not be SHB.  The shield-shaped thorax is a marker.





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