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Beetles (Stored Product)
- Latin Name: Tribolium confusum
- Latin Family Name: Tenebrionidae
- Common Name: Confused Flour Beetle
- Other Names: Bran bug
Origin:
Native to Africa, and found in jars of grains placed in the tombs of Pharaohs around 2500 B.C. It now is found throughout the world, and is more of a pest in the U.S. in the cooler climates than in the warmer states.
Biology:
Very similar in appearance, biology, and habits to the Red Flour Beetle, the Confused flour beetle is a scavenger that feeds on virtually any vegetable-based food products, but it is unable to feed on whole, undamaged grains. It may occur in conjunction with the weevils that bore into grains, feeding on the grain once it is opened by the weevil. When present in great numbers they cause flour products to turn gray and distasteful and to mold more quickly. Flour and
- Latin Name: Callosobruchus maculatus
- Latin Family Name: Bruchidae
- Common Name: Cowpea Weevil
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
This species may be native to North America, but now is found throughout the world as a pest of stored dry legumes.
Biology:
This is a common species of the bean "weevils", preferring cowpeas over other legumes but also infesting any other dried beans or peas in storage. The larvae feed on the inside of the pea for 2 to 6 weeks before pupating, the length of time dependent on moisture and temperature. The adult beetles then emerge through a thin "window" created by the larva, mate, and often lay eggs back on the same batch of legumes. Up to 7 generations may occur in a year.
Identification:
The adult beetle is only about 1/8 inch long, and reddish brown with a large dark spot in the middle
- Latin Name: Carpophilus spp.
- Latin Family Name: Nitidulidae
- Common Name: Dried Fruit Beetle
- Other Names: Dried fruit beetle, picnic beetle, pineapple beetle, sap beetle, dusky sap beetle, strawberry sap beetle, small hive beetle
Origin:
Most species in this group are native insects in North America and they are found just about everywhere there is food material for them. The family is a large and diverse one, with most species being very small, less than 1/4 inch long.
Biology:
Most sap beetles are found in damaged areas of fruits or vegetables in gardens or orchards. However, some also are important pests in the dried fruit industry as the product is in the process of being dried. In the Dried Fruit Beetle the female can lay over 1000 eggs on susceptible fruits, including those in waste piles. Eggs hatch in less than a week and
- Latin Name: Stegobium paniceaum
- Latin Family Name: Anobiidae
- Common Name: Drugstore Beetle
- Other Names: Bread beetle
Origin:
This beetle is found throughout the world as one of the most common and most destructive pests of food in storage. It is easily transported and spread in infested materials.
Biology:
The Drugstore Beetle is perhaps the most common food pest in the U.S., infesting an extremely wide range of food materials. Virtually anything made from grains or vegetable materials is subject to attack, and an especially vulnerable area is spices and peppers. The adult beetle does not feed, but larvae may be found in flours, baked goods, pet foods, spices, coffee beans and chocolate. The larvae have strong enough jaws to easily bore through packaging materials, including plastic jars, and into wooden materials such as cutting
- Latin Name: Tribolium destructor
- Latin Family Name: Tenebrionidae
- Common Name: False Black Flour Beetle
- Other Names: Destructive flour beetle, Dark flour beetle
Origin:
Likely European in origin this beetle is found throughout the world.
Biology:
This is one of the largest families of beetles in North America and its members have very diverse habits, sizes, appearances, and importance. A number of species are the small “flour” beetles that are serious pests of stored food products. This species may attack virtually any grain-based foods in storage, including pet foods, flour and baking mixes, and baked goods. Fortunately it is a fairly uncommon pest problem in North America.
Identification:
This is one of the larger species of flour beetles in the genus Tribolium, being as long as nearly
- Latin Name: Cryptolestes spp.
- Latin Family Name: Laemophloeidae
- Common Name: Flat or Rusty Grain Beetles
- Other Names: Lined flat bark beetle, flour mill beetle, rusty grain beetle, flat bark beetle
Origin:
These beetles are found worldwide in many kinds of stored food products, including dried fruit, grains, flours, dried mushrooms, and other vegetable-based foods. It is a scavenger that often is in association with other food pests. They may also be found outside, feeding on damaged, moldy fruits or vegetables or under the bark of dead trees.
Biology:
These are absolutely the tiniest of the stored food beetles, and so flattened from top to bottom that they are virtually invisible when viewed from their side. They are attracted to spoiled, moldy materials.
Identification:
Flat grain beetles are distinguished
- Latin Name: Ahasverus advena
- Latin Family Name: Silvanidae
- Common Name: Foreign Grain Beetle
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
This beetle occurs worldwide, and its exact origin may not be known.
Biology:
The importance of the Foreign Grain Beetle to the stored food industries is fairly low, for these beetles feed primarily on molds and fungi. However, stored foods that are slightly damp may support sufficient molds for the beetles to be attracted and sustain themselves. The presence of the beetles has been traced to fungi growing on damp wood members in structures, and to caches of pet foods stored in wall voids by rodents.
Identification:
This is one of the tiniest of the beetles infesting food. It is less flattened than some of the other grain beetles to which it is related, but still has the elongate, narrow
- Latin Name: Anthrenus flavipes
- Latin Family Name: Dermestidae
- Common Name: Furniture Carpet Beetle
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Possibly European in origin, but now found throughout the world.
Biology:
These small beetles feed on a wide range of animal and plant products, being severe pest problems in stored foods as well as on wool, hides, furs, feathers, or other materials with animal hair origins. They feed commonly on dead insects, and this may be the attraction to structures, where the beetles find leftovers in wasp nests, ant colonies, termite colonies, or bee hives, as well as accumulations in window sills. They are destructive to collections of insects or animals in museums. The length of time from egg to adult varies greatly, depending on food quality, temperature, and humidity, ranging in some studies from 150 to 420 days,
- Latin Name: Sitophilus granarius
- Latin Family Name: Curculionidae
- Common Name: Granary Weevil
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Believed to have originated in the eastern Mediterranean region, this weevil is now worldwide in occurrence, particularly in the cooler regions of the world. In the U.S. it tends to be more common in the northern half of the country.
Biology:
The granary weevil cannot fly, and therefore it has evolved to rely on human transport for its mode of dissemination, and in fact is rarely found in field grains anymore, but almost entirely within products in storage in human structures. It is not a major pest in homes, although it also infests acorns, and could be traced to that source if wild animals were storing them. This is an internal feeder, with the larvae obligated to develop only within a whole, enclosed seed or
- Latin Name: Typhaea stercorea
- Latin Family Name: Mycetophagidae
- Common Name: Hairy Fungus Beetle
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Possibly a native of Europe, but now found throughout the world.
Biology:
The species name of “stercorea” refers to the Latin name for excrement or dung, a reference to the presence of this beetle in moldy, decaying materials. It is an occasional stored food pest, but would normally infest food products in very poor condition, particularly those in damp condition with fungus growing on them. Adults run quickly and are able to fly.
Identification:
The adult beetle is a nondescript insect less than 3 mm long. It is somewhat flattened top to bottom, oval in shape, and reddish brown in color. The antennae are long and thin and have a 3-segmented club at the end. Under magnification