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Latin Name: Chrysomela interrupta
Common Name: Willow leaf beetle
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:This is a native beetle in North America, and is found from Alaska south to California and east into much of the rest of the U.S. and Canada.
Biology:
This is one of several species of leaf beetles in this genus. Willow is the favored host plant, but they also feed on cottonwood, alder, and other trees. The adult beetles overwinter on the bark or under materials on the ground and emerge in early spring. Eggs are laid and the larvae feed through the spring months, usually in clusters of many young larvae and on the undersides of the leaves, moving apart as they get older. Heavy feeding will cause the leaf to be skeletonized and to fall off the tree. Adult beetles also feed on the leaves. The larvae can emit a foul smelling fluid from glands along the sides of the body when they are disturbed, and this appears to repel most predators.
Latin Name: Tribolium audax
Common Name: American Black Flour Beetle
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:Possibly European in origin as it is extremely similar to other European species.
Biology:
Like other flour beetles this species will infest nearly any grain-based foods, but is uncommon in North America and of minor importance. It may be found outdoors as often as within stored food products indoors.
Identification:This is one of the largest of the Tribolium flour beetles, with adult ranging from 1/8 to 3/16 inch long. It is solid black and somewhat shiny. The prothorax is relatively short and wide compared with other members of this genus. The antennae are typical of the Tribolium, being short and beadlike with the last few segments barely enlarged.
Characteristicts Important to Control:
Control of most stored food pest beetles relies on a combination of proper storage of products in cool, dry conditions
Latin Name: Mezium americanum
Common Name: American Spider Beetle
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:Thought to be native to Africa but now found throughout the world in stored food products.
Biology:
Spider beetles in general are omnivores, and this species is known to feed as a scavenger on many foods such as dried mushrooms, animal feces, feathers, dead insects, dried fruit, grains, etc. It is partial to materials that may be in poor condition, somewhat damp, and moldy, and its presence may indicate an unsanitary condition that should be discovered and removed or cleaned. Damage to books or other non-food items occurs as the larvae bore into them to construct a chamber or cell in which to pupate. They are resistant to cold temperatures, making them more difficult to control by this method.
Identification:Spider beetles derive this name due to their appearance. They have very round elytra, a round thorax, and long,
Latin Name: Acanthoscelides obtectus
Common Name: Bean Weevil
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:This species may be native to North America, but now is found throughout the world as a pest of stored dry legumes.
Biology:
Both adults and larvae feed exclusively on dried legumes in storage, burrowing through the outer cover and feeding on the inside. There may be many individuals feeding within a single bean and entire lots of the beans may be infested, ultimately leading to dozens of emergence holes that signal the destruction of the stored food.
Identification:The adult beetle is only about 4 mm long, and a dark gray-brown and covered with very short hairs. Typical of the bean weevils the elytra are short and leave the last few segments of the abdomen exposed from above. The head tends to tuck under the thorax, particularly on dead specimens where it curls downward.
Characteristicts Important
Latin Name: Attagenus megatoma
Common Name: Black Carpet Beetle
Latin Family Name: Dermestidae
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:Originally it was believed that this insect has a European origin, but its presence in the U.S. in certain natural settings suggests that it might be native to the United States. It is found widely throughout North America and in Europe, but is most important as a pest in North America.
Biology:
Like many other carpet beetles and the Trogoderma beetles, the Black Carpet Beetle attacks the wide variety of products of animal origin and plant origin, such as hair, wool, feathers, insects, baked products, grains, cereals, spices, etc. It appears to have been much more important as a pest in past decades than it is now. Occasionally it will be found infesting rodent baits, including baits made as a paraffin formulation, or “bait block”. There is a very long life cycle in this
Latin Name: Gnatocerus cornutus
Common Name: Broad-horned Flour Beetle
Latin Family Name: Tenebrionidae
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:Possibly unknown, but this beetle is now found throughout the world, and is more common in the western states of the U.S. than the east or southeast.
Biology:
Typical of most flour beetles it attacks the broad range of processed foods of vegetable origin, including meal and flours, pet foods, and other dried materials, seeming to prefer flaky materials. Females can deposit around 400 eggs over a 5-month period, and development from egg to adult takes around 75 days under normal conditions.
Identification:The adult beetles are slightly larger and wider than the Confused or Red flour beetles, and the male has very distinct enlarged, pointed jaws. The color is dark reddish, and the antennae taper gradually larger from the base to the tip.
Characteristicts
Latin Name: Bruchus rufimanus
Common Name: Broadbean Weevil
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:Possibly a native of North Africa, but now cosmopolitan.
Biology:
This species is one of 3 in the genus found in North America, and it may occur anywhere dried legumes are kept in storage. It is likely native to Europe or Asia since a great many other species occur there in the genus, but this species is now cosmopolitan. Females deposit eggs on the growing pods of beans and the larvae bore inside to feed there for six to eight weeks, depending on the temperature. The larva then pupates inside the bean and emerges as the adult, with one generation per year. These beetles cannot reproduce on dried beans but must deposit eggs on the pods of beans during growth. The larvae feed within the developing bean in the pod and continue their presence while dried and in storage. These beetles also may feed on other legumes such as vetch, a weed
- Latin Name: Ptinus clavipes
- Latin Family Name: Ptinidae
- Common Name: Brown Spider Beetle
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Possibly unknown, as it is now found throughout the world. There are several hundred species of spider beetles, of which at least 24 species are associated with food products.Biology:
Spider beetles in general are omnivores, and this species is known to feed as a scavenger on many foods such as dried mushrooms, animal feces, feathers, dead insects, dried fruit, grains, etc. It is partial to materials that may be in poor condition, somewhat damp, and moldy, and its presence may indicate an unsanitary condition that should be discovered and removed or cleaned. Damage to books or other non-food items occurs as the larvae bore into them to construct a chamber or cell in which to pupate. Spider beetles derive this name- Latin Name: Tenebroides mauritanicus
- Latin Family Name: Trogositidae
- Common Name: Cadelle
- Other Names: Bread beetle, bolting cloth beetle
Origin:
Possibly native to North America, as it is a member of a family of beetles which are found only in the western hemisphere. This is the only species in the family that presents itself as a food pest, as all others occur outdoors under bark and logs.Biology:
The Cadelle feeds on both grain products as well as the larvae of other insects it may find in the product, such as cereals, potatoes, nuts, or fruit. They are capable of gnawing through thick package layers, and also may bore into the wooden bins or shelving in which products are stored. The Cadelle will attack whole, unprocessed grains, often feeding only on the nutritious germ portion before moving on. In this way it damages more- Latin Name: Lasioderma sericorne
- Latin Family Name: Anobiidae
- Common Name: Cigarette Beetle
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Thought to be native to Egypt, where it was found in the tomb of King Tut, this beetle now is found throughout the world.Biology:
Closely related to the Drugstore Beetle, the Cigarette Beetle will infest virtually any food product of vegetable origin, including baked goods and spices. It also is a severe pest of stored tobacco or tobacco products. It will bore into books, objects stuffed with straw or flax, dried flower arrangements, and other odd materials. The adult beetles can fly well, but they do not feed. Each female beetle can lay about 30 eggs, and the time from egg to adult is about 2.5 months, with up to 6 generations in one year in warm climates, only 1 generation in colder climates. Adult beetles live