Australian Spider Beetle

(Ptinus Tectus)

The Australian spider beetle is covered in golden brown hairs and grows to an approximate length of 2.4 – 4mm. In favourable conditions Spider beetles can survive for up to 3 – 4 months at temperatures ranging between 20 - 25°C. Australian spider beetles are often found infesting bird nests.

The female Australian spider beetle lays 100-120 sticky eggs over a period of 4–5 weeks in early summer. The eggs hatch in 3 – 16 days, producing larvae which are fleshy, curved and covered with fine hairs. Larval development takes at least 6 weeks, during which time the larvae moult 4 or 5 times. Adults emerge after 20 to 30 days and will live for as long 12 months.

The Australia spider beetle possesses the ability to bore into various inedible materials prior to pupation.

Bean Weevil

(Acanthoscelides obtectus)

Bean weevils are generally compact and oval in shape, with small heads somewhat bent under.

Adult Bean Weevils grow to approximately 2.0 - 3.0mm in length, they are mottled brown in colour and have a 'tear drop' like body shape that is covered in short hairs. They infest various kinds of seeds or beans, living most of their lives inside a single seed.

Their lifecycle usually lasts between 2-4 months with the larvae feeding within the beans as they mature. Adults deposit eggs on seeds, then the larvae chew their way into the seed. When ready to pupate, the larvae typically cut an exit hole, then return to their feeding chamber. The larval stage can take anywhere between a few weeks to many months to complete, depending upon temperature and the moisture of the bean.

These weevils attack legumes, including kidney beans, green beans, peas and lentils. It is the larvae that do the damage (the adults do not feed).

Biscuit Beetle

(Stegobium Paniceum)

The Biscuit Beetle, which is also commonly known at the Drugstore Beetle, has distinctive longitudinal grooves along its elytra (wing covers) and its antennae end in three enlarged segments. They are oval shaped and reddish-brown in colour and are approximately 2-3.5mm long. The Biscuit Beetle has a cylindrical body that appears to be humped and is covered in dense short yellowish hairs.

They are fond of warmth and so are widely prevalent in shops and domestic pantries, infesting a wide variety of dried matter and stored food products. It is also a serious pest of agricultural grain storage. Their larvae (which are capable of boring into hard substances) are particularly active in the early stages of their development. Their life cycle spans about 200 days at temperatures ranging around 17°C and 70 days at 28°C respectively with adults living for anywhere between 13 to 65 days.

A pest of cereal products such as flour and bread, it is an indiscriminate eater and will feast on a wide variety of products from furs and leather to spices and even pharmaceutical products. Biscuit beetles feed on a wide range of cereal crops and beverage concentrates. Books and manuscripts may also be attacked

Booklice

(Various species - Liposcelis bostrychophila, Lepinotus patruelis)

Booklice are tiny insects that belong to the order Psocoptera. True to their name, there is a high likelihood of finding these insects among old books and paper products in the home.

Booklice live in warm environments with plenty of humidity and require ample moisture to survive (a moisture content level of at least 14%, high enough to support the presence of mould).

They prefer to inhabit low traffic spaces and are often found around books and papers. Booklice will attack stored grains and infest household pantries as well as grain warehouses, and commercial food processing facilities but will also be found in furniture, underneath wallpaper, along the sides of windows, and in damp areas that support the growth of mould. Booklice are most commonly active during the spring and summer months.

Adult size varies according to species but they are commonly 1.5 – 3mm long and pale yellow to dark brown in colour.

Broad horned Flour Beetle

(Gnatocerus Cornutus)

Broadhorned Flour Beetles are approximately 3.5 – 4.5mm in length. The adult beetles are slightly larger and wider than the Confused or Red flour beetles, and the male has very distinct enlarged, pointed jaws. They are dark reddish brown in color, and the antennae taper gradually larger from the base to the tip.

The adult male broadhorned beetles have two enlarged mandibles on their head, giving the appearance of having horns. Typical of most flour beetles it attacks a broad range of processed foods of vegetable origin, including dough, semolina 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 within a temperature range of 15 - 32°C.

Cheese Mites

(yrophagus casei)

Cheese mites are only found in long-aged cheeses that develop a natural rind. They prefer cheeses that are dry and have a rind densely colonized by moulds, which are their main source of food but they will also feed on nuts, dried eggs, fruit, flour and tobacco and other types of stored foods where mould can grow. Cheese mites grow to approximately 0.5mm in length. They have soft creamy white bodies that are sparsely covered by hairs and have 8 hairless legs.

Cheese mites favour warm, moist conditions in which they will multiply rapidly. Female Cheese mites can lay eggs at a rate of 20 – 30 a day and adult mites can live for up to 60 – 70 days. The presence of dust lying around wheels of cheese (a combination of mites and their faeces) usually indicates the presence of a high cheese mite population.

Cigarette Beetle

(Lasioderma serricorne)

The Cigarette beetle is a very common commercial pest that can be found worldwide, especially wherever dried tobacco in the form of leaves, cigars, cigarettes, or chewing tobacco is stored. It is also a pest of oilseeds, cereals, dried fruit, sage, flour, and some animal products, rice, potatoes, paprika, other spices and raisins.

Cigarette beetles are a small beetle which closely resembles the drugstore beetle.

They measure about 2 to 4 mm and are reddish brown, oval shaped and the head is often concealed, bent down nearly at right angles to the body giving it a humped back appearance. Cigarette beetles are most active at dusk and will continue their activity throughout the night.

Adult beetles live from 2 to 4 weeks and during this time the females can produce between 10 -100 eggs which are laid and deposited on the infested material. Larvae are very hairy and generally reach 4mm length and in favourable conditions the development from egg to adult may occur within 8 to 13 weeks although the larvae become dormant and may hibernate below temperatures of 16°c.

Coffee Bean Weevil

(Araecerus Fasciculatus)

Coffee Bean Weevils can reach an adult body length of about 1.5 – 5 millimetres. They are dome shaped, with dark brown mottled wings that do not entirely cover their hairy bodies. The Antennae in male

Coffee Bean Weevils are longer than their bodies, with the last three segments forming a club.

Coffee Bean Weevils commonly attack stored commodities and are a worldwide pest of cocoa, coffee beans and many other plant materials but are also known to infest corn, dried fruits, nutmegs and ginger. The larvae dig tunnels into the seeds of corn or into coffee beans to pupate inside them. They are most commonly problematic at high humidity storage conditions.

Confused Flour Beetle

(Tribolium Confusum)

The confused flour beetle is a very common commercial and domestic stored product pest. It is very similar in appearance and in habits to the red flour beetle. Both the confused flour beetle and red flour beetle are small, about 3–6 mm in length, and reddish-brown in colour. The primary distinguishing physical difference is the shape of their antennae. The confused flour beetle's antennae increase gradually in size and have four clubs, while the red flour beetle's antennae have only three clubs. Additionally, red flour beetles have been known to fly short distances, while confused flour beetles seldom fly.

While confused (and red) flour beetles cannot feed on whole undamaged grains they are often found feeding on broken grains and kernels, grain dust, and other household food items such as flour, rice, cereal products, beans, dried fruit, nuts, dried vegetables, drugs, spices, chocolate, dried milk and animal hides.

Confused flour beetles not only contaminate food stores via consumption, but often create a foul odour in the food they infest with their dead bodies, faecal pellets, and foul-smelling secretions and by the presence of the mould they produce.

Females lay between 400 - 500 eggs in a life time whilst adult Confused flour beetles may live for 3 years or more. Eggs hatch in 3 - 5 days at 32 - 35°C at which time the larvae burrow into kernels of grain.

Copra beetle / Red Legged Ham Beetle

(Necrobia Rufipes)

The red-legged ham beetle, also known as simply the ham beetle or the copra beetle is a pest primarily of stored meat products. This beetle is a predator of other pests but will feed on other high protein items causing damage by burrowing into them. Copra/Red Legged Ham Beetles are destructive in both the larval and adult stages, although the larval stage is usually the most destructive.

Adult beetles are not strong flyers and during all life stages prefer dark conditions making it less likely to discovered. Larvae will make a single entrance hole into very meaty specimens and then tunnel inward, resulting in a dotting on the surface. They are known to feed on the larvae of other beetle species, moth caterpillars, fly maggots, and even other members of their own species but will feed on any high protein organic material especially dried meat, cheese, dried fish, ham and cashews. In the tropics, red-legged ham beetles are called copra beetles and are known to infest dried coconut (copra).

Females can lay anywhere from 100 to over 3,000 eggs (30 per day) depending on temperature conditions, humidity, and food availability. Adults reach approximately 4.5mm in length and are a shiny metallic bluish-green on top with a dark blue underside. The legs of this beetle are bright reddish-brown or orange and their antennae are reddish–brown with a dark brown or black club at the tip.

Dermestes or larder beetle

(Dermestes lardarius)

Dermestes lardarius, commonly known as the larder beetle is found worldwide. It is a common pest of households and storage facilities. It eats animal products, such as dried meats and fish, pet food, skins and hides, feathers, cheese, and museum specimens such as dried insects. It may also eat plant material that is high in protein, such as grain.

Adult larder beetles are generally 5.5mm to 9.5mm of an inch long and are dark brown with a broad, pale yellow spotted band across the upper portion of the wings. The band contains three black dots arranged in a triangle shape. The legs of the larder beetle are covered in fine, yellow bristle like hairs. Females lay approximately 135 eggs near a food source, and the eggs will hatch in about 12 days. The life cycle of larder beetles lasts around 40 to 50 days at 18-25°C.

Drug Store Beetle

(Stegobium Paniceum)

The Drugstore beetle, also known as the Bread or Biscuit beetle, that is more commonly found in warmer climates.

It is a tiny, brown beetle that can be found infesting a wide variety of dried herbs and plant products, spices, seeds, tobacco, beans, pasta, cereal, grains as well as attacking packaging materials such as paper, cardboard and pharmacological products.

It is very similar in appearance to the cigarette beetle, but is slightly larger. Additionally, drugstore beetles have antennae ending in 3-segmented clubs, while cigarette beetles have serrated antennae (notched like the teeth of a saw). The drugstore beetle also has grooves running longitudinally along its wings, whereas the cigarette beetle's wings are smooth.

The drugstore beetle's larvae are small, white grubs that are responsible for most of the damage that this species can cause. The female can lay up to 75 eggs at once, and the larval period lasts up to several months depending on the quality and availability of the food source.

Tell-tale signs of infested items are shot-like holes puncturing the outside packaging of food items and the pockmarking of solid items like crackers and pasta, as well as loose powder at the bottom of storage bags. Whilst adult beetles do not feed, they are adept at chewing holes.

Drugstore beetles are approximately 3 - 4 mm long, oval shaped and reddish brown in colour.

Flat Grain Beetle

(Cryptolestes Ferrugineus)

Flat Grain Beetles are small, flat bodied, fast-moving, light red to dark reddish-brown beetles.  Adults are approximately 2 - 3 mm in length with long antennae that are about two-thirds as long as their bodies. The adults are winged but do not fly. They have a range extending from the tropics to temperate regions and it infests most stored grain feeding on the damaged grains, cereals, dates, dried fruits and other commodities.

A single female lays up to 300 eggs and, after four larval stages, pupation occurs in a silk cocoon. Total life cycle takes up to three weeks under optimal conditions of 33oC and 70% relative humidity.

Flour Mite / Grain Mite

(Acarus siro)

Mites are common pests in grain storages and mostly occur in damp or moist grain, residues, oilseeds and animal feeds. They are not readily seen because they are the size of specks of dust. Mites are not insects (which have six legs) but are related to ticks and spiders that have eight legs.

When present in large numbers mites appear as a moving carpet of brown dust sometimes emitting a damp or pungent smell. Mites multiply under high humidity conditions (over 65% relative humidity) and upper temperature limits of 35-37ºC.

Under these conditions, the common mould mite completes its life cycle in 8-12 days and a maximum population growth of 500 times per month can occur. Because of their rapid growth in warm, moist conditions, they usually reach peak numbers during late summer.

Both the mould and grain mites cause direct damage by eating the germ of the grain and spreading fungi throughout the material. Adults are 0.5 mm long, have 4 pairs of legs, are white or pale brown in colour and are very slow moving.

Foreign Grain Beetle

(Ahasverus adena)

The foreign grain beetle is approximately 2 mm in length and are similar in appearance to the saw-tooth grain beetle, but can be distinguished chiefly by slight projections or knobs on each front corner of the pronotum (top neck plate), and its club-shaped antennae. The larvae are worm-like, cream-colored and often reach a length of 3 mm before pupating into darker adults. The adult is usually reddish brown, or sometimes black.

The foreign grain beetle is found in tropical and temperate regions. It can complete development at temperatures between 20 and 35 °C but can only survive if relative humidity exceeds 70%.

Its diet consists entirely of fungi and it can often be found in grain storage facilities, where it feeds on the mould growing on the grain. It occurs on a wide variety of foodstuffs, including grains, cereal products, oilseeds, dried fruit, and spices but can be found in other moist locations such as the walls of houses and around plumbing systems.

The adult female can begin laying eggs around 3 to 4 days after emerging from the pupa. It can lay up to 8 or 12 eggs per day, which hatch in 4 to 5 days. The larval stage is completed in 11 to 19 days (longer in drier conditions), and pupation takes 3 to 5 days. Larval development takes. Mated males have an average life span of 159 days, and mated females live about 208 days. Unmated beetles live longer, males up 275 days, and females up to 300.

They are excellent fliers and can run quite rapidly.

Fur or carpet Beetle

(Attagenus pellio)

The Fur Beetle is a pest that causes significant damage to stored products such as furs, skins, woollens, textiles and grain. It is 4 - 6 mm-long, oval shaped reddish–brown to black with two patches of white hair on the wings. Larvae have a banded appearance with distinctive tufts of very long hairs which project backwards.

The adult Fur beetle lives outdoors feeding on pollen and nectar, but they can also be found wandering on walls and windows. In temperate climates the larvae are particularly evident in autumn when they enter homes in search of food and hibernation sites. Fur beetles thrive in situations where they remain undisturbed in low traffic areas, around skirting boards and in wardrobes. Bird and rodent nests, animal remains and dead insects are frequently home to infestations of these pests.

Furniture Mite

(Glycyphagus domesticus)

Furniture mite, is found in foods and grains in warehouses and other storage areas. In homes, it thrives in infested foodstuffs and in damp areas, where it feeds on moulds.

Furniture mites are hairy with a soft, cream-white body and yellow-brown legs. For both sexes, the body bristles are very long and feathery. Microscopically, they are recognised by the long hairs at their tips and adults reach a typical length of about 0.3–0.7mm. Development from egg to adult occurs in 22 days at room temperature and adults live for approximately 50 days. Its main food sources are flour, cereal products and fungi.

These mites favour moist environmental conditions such as damp poorly ventilated rooms and are often found in old-fashioned upholstered furniture, in particular in damp items where the stuffing has rotted. They feed on the fungus and multiply in large numbers. Like all other mites, they quickly die if they become desiccated.

Golden Spider Beetle

(Niptus hololeucus)

The Golden Spider Beetle is 4 – 5mm long, brown and covered with golden yellow hair. Its body shape resembles a spider's with rounded abdomen, with a pinched waist and rounded head. It has long thin legs and long segmented antennae which give the appearance of an extra pair of legs.

The larvae of this beetle are 3.5mm long yellowy-white grubs with a brown head and a curled c-shape body. These beetles are nocturnal and spend the majority of the day hidden in cracks and crevices. The Golden Spider Beetle is a pest of dry stored food products such as grain, seeds, dried fruit, dried meat and tea. It is also found in wool, cotton, silk, feathers, leather, books and paper.

The female golden spider beetle lays 20 to 40 eggs which hatch after 11 to 30 days. After about 150 to 250 days, the larva pupates, emerging as an adult beetle after a further 18 to 26 days. Adult beetles live for up to 9 months.

Grain Borer (larger)

(Prostephanus Truncatus)

Larger Grain Borer is a serious pest of dried grains, especially maize and dried cassava in West Africa but also infests other types of grain. This beetle is believed to have been introduced into West Africa through food aid from America. It reached Africa through Tanzania in the early 1970s.

Adult beetles are black or brown in body colour and are 3 - 4mm in length. They are and cylindrical in shape with heads facing down and their antennae have three large segments with clubs on each end that are reddish in colour. The rear end of the wings slopes back and drop off sharply giving the impression of a square end with sharp edged corners when seen from above.

Females lay an average of 10 eggs on a grain of maize and the hatched larvae then bore into the grain. The larva undergo up to 4 developmental phases after which time they pupate inside the grain. At optimum conditions of 80% relative humidity and 32 °C (90 °F), and available food, Larger Grain Borer completes its lifecycle within 27 days.

Granary Weevil

(Sitophilus Granarius)

The Granary Weevil is among the most destructive of all stored grain pests. The larvae development inside kernels of whole grains in storage makes an infestation difficult to remove in the milling process. Weevils are hard to detect and usually all of the grain in an infested storage facility must be destroyed.

Adult wheat weevils are about 2.5 - 5 mm in length, a reddish-dark brown to black in colour with elongated snouts and chewing mouthparts. The size of the weevils varies depending on the size of the grain kernels they infest.

Female wheat weevils lay between 36 and 254 eggs and one pair of weevils may produce up to 6,000 offspring per year. Their lifecycle takes about 5 weeks in the summer, but may take up to 20 weeks in cooler temperatures and adults can live up to 8 months after emerging. Larvae are legless, humpbacked, and are white with a tan head. Adult weevils possess a long slender snout and cannot fly.

Female Granary Weevils drill a tiny hole in the grain kernel, deposit an egg in the cavity, then plug the hole with a gelatinous secretion.

Other female weevils can tell if a grain kernel has already had an egg laid in it by another weevil and will completely avoid laying an additional egg in the same grain. This behaviour accelerates the destruction of the entire grain commodity. Both the larvae and the adults feed on grain with the larvae spending most of their life within the grain kernel.

Almond Moth

(Cadra cautella)

The almond moth is found worldwide in processing facilities, warehouses and households. It prefers to feed on grain, cereal products, oilseeds and dried plant products, like nuts, fruit and tobacco but will feed on a wide variety of material including flour, dates, cocoa beans and seeds.

A sign of infestation in the product is the contamination with silk webbing, holes in packaged food, frass, cast skins, pupal cases and moth remains. The adult almond moth has a wing span of 19 mm and their bodies are approximately 7.5 - 10 mm long. Their forewings are grey to dusty brown in colour with a dark straight band which is paler on the inner edge

The larva is white to pink in colour and has a distinctive brown head and can grow to 12.7 mm in length. The female lays 150 - 200 eggs loosely and randomly on a food source. The larva burrows into food and creates silk tunnels in which it will be concealed while feeding. Copious amounts of silk are produced by these moths binding together and fouling foodstuffs and may also block machinery.

Indian Meal Moth

(Plodia Interpunctella)

The species was named after being noted for feeding on Indian-meal or cornmeal and, funnily enough, it does not occur natively in India as the name would suggest. Indian Meal moths have wingspan of about 14 – 20mm. They have pale grey hind wings, but the front forewings are a reddish coppery brown on the outer two-thirds. Their larvae are mostly a dirty white coloration with a reddish-brown head, but the color of the body will vary depending on the type of food it is consuming.

As with most species of Pest Moth the adult Indian Meal Moth causes no damage, this is all done by the larvae who need to constantly satisfy their voracious appetites. Their larvae commonly found infesting foods such as dried fruits, whole wheat and cornmeal, dry dog food as well as grain products, nuts and seeds, chocolate, biscuits and powdered milk. The larvae of this species have the ability to bite through plastic and cardboard; thus, even sealed containers may be infested.

Mediterranean Flour Moth

(Ephestia kuehniella)

The adult Flour moth has a wing span of approx. 20 – 22 mm. The hind wings are dirty white while the forewings (top side) are blue-grey. The Mediterranean flour moth is often found infesting grain, Flour, bran, cereal products, nuts, chocolate, seeds, beans, biscuits, dried fruits and other stored foods. The eggs of this moth usually hatch within 3 – 5 days at which time the young larvae encase themselves in spun silken tubes. The larva attains full size in around 40 days. The larva pupates in or on top of the infested material (usually flour) or in cracks and crevices nearby. The life cycle can be completed in as few as 4 - 6 weeks but usually takes about 3 months.

The Mediterranean flour moth larva is a very common commercial and pantry pest that can be found infesting flour and stored meal products. Female Mediterranean Flour Moths are capable of laying between 100 - 700 eggs which they usually do in and among the food source they are infesting. It is a major pest of grain processing mills and storage warehouses.

Tobacco Moth

(Ephestia Elutella)

The Tobacco Moth is an introduced pest species of moth. Often found in warehouses and other areas where tobacco is stored, they will also infest areas where cocoa beans, nuts, dried fruit and cereals, coffee, corn maize, wheat and spices are kept. The adult Tobacco moth can be identified by its brownish grey forewings crossed with two light bands and the paler plain grey hindwings.

The adult moth has a wing expanse of 14-17 mm and their larvae grow to a length of approximately 10-15 mm. They are whitish-yellow or reddish in color dependant upon the available food source with brown heads and neck shields.

The adult moths of this species do not feed, this is all done through larval feeding which causes the most damage due to contamination of the infested goods with the webbing from their cocoons and extensive amounts of excrement.

Khapra Beetle

(Trogoderma granarium)

The Khapra beetle prefers hot, dry conditions and are known for predominantly living in close association with humans and can be found in areas where grain and other potential food is stored, such as pantries, malt houses, grain and fodder processing plants, and stores of used grain sacks or crates. Adult Khapra beetles are 1.5 - 3 mm long, males are dark brown or black with yellow-brown to red-brown markings on the wing covers, and the females are slightly larger with lighter colours.

The Khapra Beetle is considered to be one of the world's most destructive pests of stored grain products.

If left uncontrolled, this beetle can cover the surface of stored grain making it appear alive with crawling larvae. larvae are approximately 5 mm long and are covered in dense, reddish-brown hair with two tufts at the end of their abdomens. The larval stage can last four to six weeks, but can be extended up to seven years' dependant on food scarcity. In ideal conditions the lifespan of adult Khapra beetle is usually between five and thirty days.

The Khapra beetle is considered to be a wasteful feeder as it damages more grain than it actually consumes. Khapra beetles feed on rice, peanuts, dried animal skins, as well as its preferred natural foods - wheat and malted barley. Females can lay up to 125 eggs in the infested material and the eggs usually hatch in five to seven days.

Larder Beetle

(Dermestes lardarius)

larder beetles are a common pest of households and storage facilities ('larders') throughout much of the world. larder beetles eat animal products, such as dried meats and fish, pet food, skins and hides, feathers, cheese and dried insects. It may also eat plant material that is high in protein, such as grain.

Adult larder beetles are generally 5 to 6mm long, dark brown with a broad, pale yellow spotted band across the upper portion of the wings. The band contains three black dots arranged in a triangle shape. The larvae are longer than the adult and are covered in reddish brown or black bristles. It has two back-curved, spine-like appendages on its rear end.

The sternum and legs of the adult larder beetle are also covered in fine, yellow bristles. Adult larder beetles are typically found outdoors in protected areas during the winter, but during the spring and early summer they enter buildings.

Females lay approximately 135 eggs near a food source, and the eggs hatch in about 12 days. The life cycle of larder beetles lasts around 40 to 50 days at 18-25°C.

Leather Beetle

(Dermestes maculatus)

The leather beetle is a dull black colour and usually hairy. The species is often found underneath dead animals that have decomposed for several days to weeks and their eating habits can cause a dead animal to become just a skeleton. The appearance of the beetle on decomposing remains of humans and other animals can be used to estimate post-mortem interval in cases of homicide, or unattended death. The adults generally arrive within 5 to 11 days following an animal's death. The larvae develop for five to seven weeks, and the adult beetles live for four to six months.

The beetle feeds on carrion and dry animal products but they are pests of the silk industry and consume dried fish, cheese, bacon, dog treats, and poultry. The bodies of the larvae are covered in bristle like hairs. The bottom of the abdomen is yellowish-brown while the top surface is dark brown, usually with a yellow line in the middle. Adult beetles are usually 6 - 9.5mm in length.

Lesser Grain Beetle

(Rhyzopertha dominica)

Lesser grain borers mainly attack wheat, corn, rice and millet. Both the larvae and adults are destructive pests. They bore irregularly shaped holes into whole, undamaged kernels and the larvae develop inside the grain. Larval and adult feeding in and on grain kernels may leave only dust and thin brown shells. A sweet, musty odour is often associated with infestations of this insect.

The adult Lesser grain borers are 2.5 - 3 mm long, brown to black beetles with cylindrical bodies and numerous small pits on the wing covers

The head is directed downward and covered by the prothorax so that is t is not visible when the insect is viewed from above. The creamy white larva is a c-shaped grub with a small dark head that is partly retracted into the thorax (the part of the body of a between the neck and the abdomen).

The female deposits her eggs in clusters of 2 to about 30 on kernels. Most of the newly-hatched larvae chew into kernels and complete their entire development there. However, the larvae can feed on fines or can develop as free-living insects in the grain. Development from egg to adult requires about 25 days under ideal conditions of 34 degrees C and 12% moisture. Both the larvae and adults produce a large amount of frass or waste. Larval faecal pellets are pushed out of the kernel and large amounts can accumulate in the grain. The adults are winged and may fly to spread infestations.

The lesser grain borer is primarily a pest in stored wheat and corn although it can infest tobacco, nuts, beans, bird seed, biscuits, cassava, cocoa beans, dried fruit, peanuts, spices, rodenticide baits, and dried meat and fish.

Lesser Mealworm

(Alphitobius diaperinus)

Alphitobius diaperinus is known commonly as the lesser mealworm or litter beetle. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring almost worldwide. It is known widely as a pest insect of stored food grain products such as flour, and of poultry-rearing facilities and it is a vector of many kinds of animal pathogens.

The adult lesser mealworm beetle is roughly 6 mm long, a wide oval in shape, is shiny black or brown with reddish brown grooved wings, (the colour changing with age) and much of the body surface is dotted with puncture-like impressions. The antennae are paler at the tips and are covered in tiny, yellowish hairs.

The lesser mealworm thrives in warm, humid environments, both natural and established by humans. It inhabits caves, rodent and bird nests and likes to colonize agricultural establishments with abundant food sources and warm conditions, such as grain processing and storage facilities and poultry housing.

The lesser mealworm beetle consumes a wide variety of materials, including litter, bird droppings, mould, feathers and eggs. It commonly feeds on sick or weakened live  animals, engages in cannibalism but also feeds on the eggs and larvae of other insects, such as the rice moth.

The adult female beetle lays usually about 200 to 400 eggs, but it has been known to produce up to 2000. It lays eggs every few days throughout its life, which is generally up to one year long, or up to two years when it is reared in captivity. The larvae emerge within a week and take 40 to 100 days to reach maturity, depending on conditions and the food supply. The larvae grow well in high humidity. Larvae and adults are mainly nocturnal, becoming most active at dusk.

As a pest, the beetle is most damaging to the poultry industry. This is the most common beetle found in poultry litter. The larvae damage poultry housing structures when they search for suitable pupation spots, chewing through wood, fiberglass, and polystyrene insulation. This destruction can be costly to operators, especially in heating energy costs. The beetles consume the birds' feed and irritate the birds by biting them.

Maize Weevil

(Sitophilus zaemais)

This species attacks both standing crops and stored cereal products, including wheat, rice, sorghum, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, peas, and cottonseed. The maize weevil also infests other types of stored, processed cereal products such as pasta, cassava, and various coarse, milled grains. It has even been known to attack fruit while in storage, such as apples and can easily breed in products that have been exposed to excessive moisture.

The Maize weevil has a length of 2.5 mm to 4 mm. It is brown in colour, has four reddish-brown spots on the wing covers (elytra), a long, thin snout, and elbowed antennae.

The complete development time for the life cycle of this species averages 36 days. The female chews through the surface of the grain, creating a hole then deposits a small oval white egg, and covers the hole as the ovipositor is removed, with a waxy secretion that creates a plug. The plug quickly hardens, and leaves a small raised area on the seed surface. This makes early detection of an infestation difficult as the larvae feed on the interior of individual grains, often leaving only the hulls.

A single female may lay 300 to 400 eggs during her lifetime. Adults can live for 5 to 8 months. Breeding conditions require temperatures between 15 and 34 °C and 40% relative humidity.

A possible indication of infestation is grain, when placed in water, floating to the surface. In large stores of grain, an increase in temperature may be detected. The most obvious sign of infestation is the emergence of adults. Both larvae and adults will feed upon grain and these weevils are strong fliers.

Merchant Grain Beetle

(Oryzaephilus Mercator)

The Merchant grain beetle is a dark brown slender, flattened beetle about 2.5mm in length and is a common, worldwide pest of grain and grain products as well as fruit, nuts, seeds, biscuits, chocolate, drugs, and tobacco. The Merchant grain beetle will feed on any foodstuffs of vegetable origin and these beetles will chew through sealed packaging such as cardboard boxes, plastic bags and foil wrappings to access any food source.

The female may produce up to 285 eggs which are laid within a food source and their larva are yellowish-white with a brown head and can reach a length of up to 3mm. Larva are active and move about through a food source as they feed. Larva moult two to four times before pupating in a cocoon-like structure made by joining together small grain kernels and pieces of kernels. The total life cycle takes approximately 27–50 days. The adult beetles can fly (although it rarely does).

Rice Weevil

(Sitophilus Oryzae)

Rice weevils are pests of stored grain and seeds. Adult Rice weevils are able to fly, and can live for up to two years. They will often feign death by drawing up their legs close to the body, falling, and remaining silent when disturbed. Adult is small 2.5 to 4 mm in length, dark brown with 4 distinct reddish to reddish yellow patches on the wings and possess a long slender snout.

Females can lay 2-6 eggs per day and up to 300 to 400 eggs over the course their lifecycle. The female uses her strong mandibles to chew a hole into a grain kernel after which she deposits a single egg within the hole, then seals it with a gelatinous secretion. Larvae development occurs completely within the grain, hollowing it out while feeding.

There is generally no external evidence that the larvae have been eating and growing inside the seed until after about one month when the adult weevil chews through the seed coat and emerges.

Rust-red Flour Beetle

(Tribolium casteneum)

The Rust Red Flour Beetle is an introduced pest species that attacks stored food products in cereal mills, food processing plants, grocery stores and households. The Rust Red Flour Beetle is reddish brown with antennae that end in a prominent three-segmented club.

It is similar in appearance to the Confused Flour Beetle which is slightly larger and has antennae that thicken gradually into a four segment club.

The Rust Red Flour Beetle is 3 - 4mm in length, is reddish - brown in colour, has well developed wings and will fly when conditions are hot and humid. The Rust Red Flour Beetle is a serious commercial pest species that attacks stored grain products such as flour, cereals, meal, beans, cottonseed, shelled nuts, dried fruit, dried vegetables, drugs, spices, chocolate, dried milk and other dried food products. The Rust Red Flour Beetles cannot feed on whole grains, but can feed on the broken kernels that are usually present.

The female lays tiny white eggs that hatch after about 3 - 9 days at 32 - 35°C. Larvae are fairly active but will generally hide within the food, away from light. The larvae that emerge are creamy to light brown in colour with two dark projections on the last segment of their bodies and they are about 6mm long. The larval stage ranges from about 22 days to over 100 depending on temperature. Adult beetles can live for up to three years and females are capable of producing 400 - 500 eggs

Saw Toothed Grain Beetle

(Oryzaephilus Surinamensis)

The saw–toothed grain beetle is found all over the world. It is a common pest of a variety of stored foods including cereals, cereal-based products, copra, spices, nuts and dried fruit as well as chocolate, drugs, bread, pasta products, dried meat and tobacco. Both adults and larvae feed on externally on maize grains but are not able to feed on undamaged grains and these beetles will chew through sealed packaging such as cardboard boxes, plastic bags and foil wrappings to reach a food source.

The saw-toothed grain beetle is a slender dark brown beetle that is approximately 2 - 3 mm in length, with a flattened body, and six characteristic saw-toothed projections on each side of the prothorax (neck plate). The abdomen tapers towards the tip and its antennae are long and bead-like. Wings are present on this beetle, but they rarely fly.

The female saw-toothed grain beetle lays eggs singly or in small batches in the food product they are infesting. Females lay about approximately 200 to 400 eggs in their lifetimes and the eggs hatch within 3 - 8 days.

The larvae is elongate yellowish-white with a brown head and have numerous body hairs and three pairs of legs. They are less than a millimetre when newly hatched and 3 – 4 mm when fully developed. Saw–toothed grain beetles are not only a common pest in grain bins, but also in mills, processing plants, warehouses, and kitchens. The life cycle takes from 20-80 days dependent on temperature and the adults usually live around 6 to 10 months.

Shiny spider beetle

(Gibbium psylloides)

This insect is tolerant of cool conditions and can survive for long periods without food supplies. Shiny spider beetle larvae will infest all manner of dry animal and vegetable matter including grain, spices, fish meal, dog biscuits, dried fruit and a wide variety of miscellaneous debris. They will scavenge among the debris of neglected stores and have even been reported infesting insecticidal powders. The adult beetles and larvae are quite capable of boring holes through the packaging of the commodities they wish to infest. Mainly nocturnal, they spend the day hidden in cracks and crevices amongst packaging. They thrive in old buildings where they find many harbourages and can stay alive for long periods without food.

Adults are 0.8mm - 3mm long, shiny reddish - brown to black with a hairless body.

Females will lay up to 120 eggs either singly or in batches during the early summer months. The eggs usually hatch within 16 days and then remain in the larval stage for up to 6 weeks. live for up to 12 months. At the optimum temperature for development (33°C) it takes about 45 days for the Adult Shiny spider beetles life cycle to be completed.

Warehouse Beetle

(Trogoderma variabile)

The adult warehouse beetle is dark brown in appearance with mottled lighter brown markings. They are about 1.5 - 4 mm in length and have an oval shaped body and occasionally fly. Their larvae are whitish brown in colour, about 6 - 8 mm long and conspicuously hairy.

Warehouse beetles are voracious feeders. They have been reported from seeds of all kinds, dead insects and animals, cereal products, candy cocoa, corn, corn meal, dog food, fish meal, flour, oatmeal, milk powder, spaghetti, spices, peas, wheat, barley, and pollen. They cannot feed on whole grain but can feed on the broken kernels that are usually present. A notable feature of warehouse beetle infestations is the accumulation of shed larvae hairs and skins, which may cause asthma, skin or gastric problems to humans.

The female's eggs are laid singularly and are deposited loosely within the processed commodity or in the crevices of whole kernels. Warehouse beetle eggs hatch after about 6 days and pupation lasts 5 days and generally occurs near the surface of the food source. The larvae can grow up to 10mm long and they are pale cream with indistinct dark brown markings, have 3 pairs of legs and are very bristly. Female adult warehouse beetles usually begin laying eggs one day after emerging and continue to do so for 3 days. Lifecycle usually lasts between 1 and a half to 6 months.

White Marked Spider Beetle

(Ptinus fur)

The White marked Spider Beetle is a pest of stored foods, with a worldwide distribution, where it may be identified through leaving webbed, granular materials on the stored products. The adult beetles feed on dried and decaying animal and vegetable material. It has also been identified as a pest in museums, damaging stored collections. White marked Spider Beetles are known to feign death if disturbed. They are active in dark, damp places and are often linked to birds nests.

The White marked Spider Beetle is reddish-brown in colour with a dense cushion of pale yellow hairs on each side, and measures 2 – 4.3 millimetres in length. The prothorax is densely covered with pale hairs, while the elytra (wings) bear some patches of white scales. The optimum temperature for the rapid development of the White marked Spider Beetle is about 23 °C, at which time it completes its development in around 132 days. White marked Spider beetles scavenge and breed in dry organic matter and adults will live for several months.

Yellow Mealworm Beetle

(Tenebrio molitor)

Yellow Mealworm Beetles are one of the largest insect pests that infest stored food products. The adult beetles are sturdy black elongated beetles with parallel sides and antennae that are slightly longer than the width of the head then thicken gradually towards tips without clubbed ends. Yellow Mealworm beetles are often found where grain is stored in feed mills, processing plants and around the spilled and decaying grain in chicken production facilities.

Yellow Mealworm Beetles prefer undisturbed low traffic areas such as under sacks, in storage bins, in dark corners and damp areas. They are a pest of cereals and cereal products, feeding on flour, bran and pasta.

Adult Yellow Mealworm beetles are shiny, dark brown to black, approximately 18mm in length, strong flyers and highly resistant to cold temperatures. The larvae start off white and darken as they mature becoming brownish yellow and then brown. Mealworm larvae are smooth and shiny with a hard-cylindrical shaped body that is about 3mm in diameter and about 25mm long.

The female Yellow Mealworm beetle lays white bean shaped eggs in soft ground. The eggs are about 1.25mm and hatch into mealworms (grub like larvae) after about a week. The larvae feed on plant or animal material before pupating.

The adult beetle emerges from the pupa after about three to thirty days depending on temperature. Each female lays about 275–600 eggs singly or in clusters during the spring.