#Biscuit beetle size professional#

With such a varied diet it is found in a wide range of places, as it will survive on any type of food. flour, 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. It is also a serious pest of agricultural grain storage.Ī pest of cereal products e.g. They are fond of warmth and so are widely prevalent in shops and domestic larders, infesting a wide variety of dried matter and stored food products. The Biscuit Beetle, which is also commonly known at the Drugstore Beetle, has distinctive longitudinal grooves along its wing cover and its antennae end in three enlarged segments.Ī cosmopolitan pest, it can be found all across the world but is particularly prevalent in warmer regions and can survive in heated structures in more temperate climates. The have a cylindrical body that appears to be humped and are covered in dense short yellowish hairs. Oval shaped and reddish-brown in colour, the adult is 2-3.5mm long. Moth larvae usually fly to a hidden site away from the food source to pupate, adults then mate and eggs are deposited on or in suitable food.Įmerging beetle adults feed on grain or find shelter in the structure of the silo/warehouse prior to invading new food sources. Eggs are laid in the grain or part-processed food (flour, bran etc.) where the larvae feed through to the pupal stage. This may occur in succession – primary then secondary. The main lepidopteron pests are secondary they feed regularly on processed foods so are more common in domestic kitchens and larders.Ī variety of pests infest stored grain. Secondary beetle pests include the flour beetles (Triboliumconfusumand T.castaneum) Primary coleopteran pests include grain weevils (Sitophilusgranarius, S.zeamais, S.oryzae),the lesser grain borer (Rhyzoperthadominica) and the saw-toothed grain beetle (Oryzaephilussurinamensis.) Understanding Primary and Secondary Pests Losses can amount to 10% or more of the commodity through spoilage or secondary fungal infection. Within each group, some species are considered as primary pests, they attack the whole grain, while others follow the initial damage as secondary pests.

#Biscuit beetle size professional#

Use a trained professional pest controller.Stored product pests fall into two main insect orders: 'If you feel your issue has not been resolved with the house keeping options above them we recommend you contact a professional pest controller to survey the issue and treat as necessary. Also check the loft or eaves of your house for an old bird nest, as these can be a common source of Biscuit Beetles. Throw out any infested food and thoroughly clean out any food residues from areas where the beetles or their grubs are found.

The adults fly, but do not feed and live for relatively short periods of three to four weeks. They feed and grow for about two months or so, depending on temperature, the larvae pupate inside cocoons, often within the food material, and one or two weeks later the adult's hatch, their emergence holes resembling typical 'woodworm' (Anobium) exit holes. The white larvae are very small and quite active when they hatch. They have also been known to penetrate tin foil and lead, and have even bored through a shelf-full of books. Very similar in appearance and closely related to the Common Furniture Beetle (Woodworm), these insects can easily be confused and misidentified.įlour, biscuits, cake mixes, cereals, spices, meat and soup powders will attract them most, however, they will thrive on other substances such as poisonous substances like strychnine, belladonna and aconite - hence the beetle’s American name Drug Store Beetle.