Albert Lea Seed House Oat Production Guide | Page 29

PRINCIPAL STORED GRAIN INSECTS
saW-toothed Grain Beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis
Length: Approximately 3 mm
Slender, flat, brown beetle. It gets its name from the peculiar structure of the thorax, which bears six
sawtoothlike projections on each side.
It attacks in both the larval and adult stages. The adults live on an average 6 to 10 months. The female
lays 43 to 285 eggs.
Infests mainly grain and grain products but also noodles, wafers, nuts, and dried fruit. Causes sometimes
the so-called "hot spots" in stored grain.
flat Grain Beetle Cryptolestes pusillus
Length: Approximately 2 mm
Minute, flattened, oblong, reddish-brown beetle, with elongate antennae about two-thirds as long as
the body. One of the smaller beetles commonly found in stored grain.
Females deposit small white eggs in crevices in the grain or drop them loosely upon farinaceous
material. The larvae are fond of the wheat germ, and, in infested grain, many kernels are found
uninjured except for the removal of the germ. Larvae also feed on dead insects.
Frequently found in enormous numbers with the rice weevil. This insect is a scavenger and often infests
grain and meal that are in poor condition.
confused flour Beetle Tribolium confusum
Length: Approximately 4 mm
Shiny, flattened, oval, reddish-brown beetle. The head and upper parts of the thorax are densely
covered with minute punctures. The wing covers are ridged lengthwise and are sparsely punctured
between the ridges.
The average life is about 1 year. Badly infested flour has a sharp odor and turns brown; its baking
properties are damaged.
This beetle is closely related and almost identical in appearance to the Red Flour Beetle.
anGoumois Grain moth Sitotroga cerealella
Length: Approximately 8 mm
Wing span: Approximately 16 mm
Small buff or yellowish-brown moth. The rear edges of the forewings and hindwings
have long fringes.
Larva crawl t