Stored Grain Insects Identification Guide

Stored-Grain
Insects

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ABSTRACT
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CONTENTS
Page
Flour moths 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Indian meal moth 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 0 000
Mediterranean flour moth 0000000000000000000000
Meal moth 000000000000000000000000000000000000
Grain weevils 000000000000000000000000000000000000
Granary weevil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Rice weevil 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000
Maize weevil 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 000
Broadnosed grain weevil 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 000
Coffee bean weevil 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0
Grain borers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lesser grain borer 0 00 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 00 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0
Larger grain borer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 00 0
Grai n and flour beetles 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cadelle 000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Sawtoothed grain beetle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0'
Merchant grain beetle 00000000000000000000000000
Squarenecked grain beetle 0 000 00 0 000 0 0 000 000 0 0 0 0
Foreign grain beetle 0000000000000000000000000000
Mexican grain beetle 000000000000000000000000000
Siamese grain beetle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Flat grain beetle 00000 00000000000000000000000000
Rusty grain beetle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Confused flour beetle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Red flour beetle 0 00 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0
American black flour beetle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Longheaded flour beetle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Slenderhorned flour beetle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000
Smalleyed flour beetle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Depressed flour beetle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Broadhorned flour beetle 0 0 0 0 0 0 :- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Larger black flour beetle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
,..- .... ' < 'oO '""t' . , .
....................................
Int roduction
1
1
1
2
3
3
4
6
6
8
Grain moths 000000000000000000000000000000000000 9
Angoumois grain moth 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 000 0 000 9
Pink scavenger caterpillar 00000 000 0000 00000000000 10
European grain moth 0 00 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 12
Rice moth 000000000000000000000000000000000000 12
14
14
15
16
19
19
20
21
21
22
22
22
23
24
24
26
27
28
29
29
29
29
30
Page
Eggs of flour and grain insects .. 31
Mealworms 32
Yellow mealworm . .. 32
Dark mealworm 34
Lesser mealworm 34
Black fungus beetle 34
Redhorned grain beetle 35
Dermestid beetles 37
Black carpet beetle .. 37
Trogoderma beetles 37
Spider beetles 40
Hairy spider beetle .. 40
Whitemarked spider beetle 40
Brown spider beetle 41
Other spider beetles 41
Miscellaneous beetles . . .. 42
Twobanded fungus beetle 42
Hairy fungus beetle 42
Corn sap beetle .. . .. 43
Cigarette beetle .. . .. 44
Drugstore beetle .. 45
Catorama beetles 45
Murmidius beetle 46
Booklice or psocids 46
Silverfish 47
Cockroaches 48
Flour or grain mites. " 50
Parasites of grain pests 52
How grain becomes infested. . . . .. 55
How to prevent or reduce primary infestation 56
Prepared by the
Aarlcultara. Relearch Service
Ualted Stat. Departmeat 01 Aarlcultare
This handbook supersedes and enlarges Farmers' Bulletin 1260, "Stored-
Grain Pests."
Washington, D.C.
IssuedFebuary 1978
Revised and approved fex' printing January 1986
STORED-GRAIN INSECTS
INTRODUCTION
Since the establishment of Federal
standards for grain under the pro-
visions of the Grain Standards Act,
Federal grain supervisors and feder-
ally licensed grain inspectors have
been required to identify the various
species of "live weevils and other
insects injurious to stored grain"
which may be present in the grain.
For accurate identification, uniform
names should be used by all inter-
ested persons, including shipper, pur-
chaser, and elevator operator.
Of the five primary insect pests,
the granary weevil, the rice weevil,
the maize weevil, and the lesser grain
borer may well be called grain wee-
vils. The fifth primary pest, the
Angoumois grain moth, so destruc-
tive to wheat and corn, may be called
a grain moth. Other insects likely to
be found in grain may be called
simply beetles, moths, and meal-
worms. Their presence usually does
not indicate a condition likely to
affect the grain trade, if the grain,
after it has reached the elevator, is
screened and fanned to remove these
insects.
This handbook briefly describes
the biology, life histories, and habits
of stored-grain insects and gives
effective methods for the prevention
and control of grain infestations.
Grain weevils, grain borers, grain
moths, flour moths, grain and flour
beetles, mealworms, dermestid bee-
tles, spider beetles, miscellaneous bee-
tles, booklice or psocids, silverfish,
cockroaches, flour or grain mites,
and parasites of grain pests are dis-
cussed.
GRAIN WEEVILS
Of the five true weevils that attack
grain in the United States, only three
are of primary importance-the
granary weevil, the rice weevil, and
the maize weevil. Except locally, the
broadnosed grain weevil and the
coffee bean weevil are of minor
importance. All but the coffee bean
weevil have elongated beaks or
snouts, as shown in figures 1, 3, and
4.
Granary Weevil
The granary weevil, Sitophilus
granarius (Linnaeus),' is a small,
moderately polished, blackish or
I Coleoptera, Curculionidae.
2 AGRICULTURF. llANDROOK NO. ~ O O , U.S. DF.PT, O ~ lIGHICULTL'lIE
ch.<tnut h,owo be.,I. (ri,. IAJ, ] h.
hcad nl. nd, in lO a lon, , l. nd.,
. noul w'ilh a paiTof .lOul mandiM.,
0' j. ...s al Ihnd. This in"d is nol
mor. Ih. n Ihr, -si'I' <olh. of an ioch
Jon, and oft. n i maller, Th.r. are
no w'io,. uoder Ih. i n, co", ,,, and
lh. l ho,ax i. ",. nma, k<d ",ilh l" n,i.
l ud,nal pundure. t",o charaderis'''''
lhal di.t ingui.h Ihi. in>Cd from Ih.
cloly , .laled ,icc "'....'il ",'ith which
il is oh<n lound.
Th. g, . nal')' w",il. on. of , h.
oldt kno"'n in..." 1"''''. has he.n
carri<d hy' comm.". 10 all paris of
the o, ld. It prr f.... t<mpe,a" di.
mal. and i. more frcqu.nlly found in
tho S ort hr rn St al lhan in the
South,
Bol h the adult. and la"a. f. ed
,oraciou. l}' on a gr. a t , a, i<ly of
grain. Th. adult w,il. Ii. . on an
, .,ag. 7 10 8 monl h. , and .ach
f.mal. lay. 50 to 250 eu' d",i n, lhis
r<"od. 8. fo, . layil\lt, , he fema1. u'"' .
h.r mandihles to bore a .mall hole in
a ,rain " tn. LShe th. n d.po.i" a n
. " lhro", h the hole aod "",. .. ,I
w'ith a , . Ial ioo" . fl"id Ihat ..al. the
hoi . Th. ,mall, " hil' . Ik,h}" . leg1."
, r" h 0' la,,,a hatch.. from tho en
and hurro"'. ahom in.i de tho kernel.
When fully , ,,,,, no lh. la"'a Iran,
form. into a pup.a and lh.n into an
aduh
In ",a, m ". a ther , the , ra",, 1')'
w. ..'i1 d ....lop. f,om ,h. elll' 10 Ih.
adull "ag. in ahout 4 ,, k<. ( 'old
".alher ' ''atly proloog. the d... I
opm. nta] I"'riod ,
Rice Weeyll
Th. ric< ",,,,'il. Siwphilu., ""': 0'
(Linno,u'l. ' i. a , mall snout ~ t l
which 'aTi in . i1<, hUI it a..,a , ..
~ . , l ._ {;" " . ft>il. ILf" to " ",,, ;1ad"" : ' ''''''. '> ...", ad ult. " "'.
moon il ad ult
STORED GRAIN INSECTS 3
about three thirty-seconds of an inch
in length. It varies from reddish
brown to nearly black and is usually
marked on the back with four light-
reddish or yellowish spots (fig. 1B).
The rice weevil closely resembles the
granary weevil in form but differs in
color and markings, and it has fully
developed wings beneath the wing
covers. The thorax is densely pitted
with somewhat irregularly shaped
punctures, except for a smooth,
narrow strip extending down the
middle of the upper (dorsal) side.
This weevil has been known since
early times. It is found in all parts of
the world where grain is used and is
one of the worst pests in stored grain.
This insect is particularly abundant in
warm countries, where it breeds con-
tinuously and rapidly destroys all
unprotected grain.
The adult rice weevils live, on an
average, 4 to 5 months, and each
female lays 300 to 400 eggs during
this period. The early life stages are
almost identical in habit and appear-
ance to those of the granary weevil.
During hot weather, the egg, larval,
and pupal stages may be passed in as
few as 26 days. This period, of
course, is greatly prolonged during
cool or cold weather.
Maize Weevil
The maize weevil, Sitophilus
zeamaise Motschulsky, for a long
time referred to as the larger strain or
race of the rice weevil, is now recog-
nized as a distinct species. Although
slightly larger,up to one-eighth of an
inch long, and darker than the rice
weevil adult, the degree of variation
within each species makes them diffi-
cult to tell apart (fig. 1C). The thorax
of the maize weevil is densely and
uniformly pitted with round punc-
tures.
It is a common pest of a variety of
grain crops and causes tremendous
losses to corn in the South, reducing
the kernels to dry powder and hulls
(fig. 2). The adults fly from the
granaries to the fields, where they
start infestations that may continue
after harvest and may be especially
destructive in storage.
The life history and early life
stages are similar to those of the rice
weevil (fig. 3). The rate of devel-
opment is slightly slower; a minimum
of 30 days is required for passing
through the egg, larval, and pupal
stages.
Broadnosed Grain Weevil
The broadnosed grain weevil,
Caulophilus oryzae (Gyllenhal),' is a
small, dark-brown snout beetle
slightly less than one-eighth of an
inch long. In form and color, it
resembles the granary weevil some-
what but differs from it and other
grain-infesting weevils by having a
shorter, broader snout (fig. 4C).
The weevil is occasionally found in
Georgia and South Carolina and is
widespread in Florida, where it is a
serious pest of stored grains, but it is
not found in northern grains. It is
unable to breed in dry, hard, unin-
" AGRI CULT URE HANDBOOK NO. 500, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
,
R\-J05Q
Figure 2.-An ear of corn badl y damaged by
maize "1:1: \;15. The car was hit against a
table to jar loose a dry powdery substance.
or farinaceous material. to reveal the great
amount of damage done.
jured grai n, but it docs a ttack soft or
damaged gr ain or gra in that has been
attacked by other grai n insects. It is a
s t ro ng fl ier. a nd . li ke the mai ze
weev il. flies to t he co rnfields a nd
infests the grain before it becomes
fully ha rdened.
The adult weevils normall y live
a bout 5 mo nths. and . during thi s
t im e. ea c h female lays 200 to 300
small white eggs. usually in broken
port ions of the gra in. In a few day s.
the eggs hat ch. and the small. white.
legless grubs feed on t he softer por-
tions of the grain until fully gro wn
(fig. 4A ). They the n transform into
white pupae (fig. 48) and. in a few
days. tra nsfo rm into adult weevils
which cut their way ou t of the grain.
In summer. the period from egg to
adu lt is about I month.
Coffee Bean Weevil
The coffee bean weevil, Araecerus
[ascicu latus ( De Gce rj .s is a very
ac tiv e. r obus t . dark- b ro wn beetle
two-sixteen ths to three-sixt eenths of
an inch long. It is covered with a
mottl ed light- and dark-brown pubes-
cence. This insect may be easily ree-
ognized from figure 5.
This weevil is found in many
countries and is extremely abundant
i n the So ut hern S tates. where it
breed s in dried fru it. coffee berries.
cornstalks. com, and the seed and
s ee d pod s o f an al mos t endless
variety of plants. The coffee bean
weevil is a strong flier and is fre-
quently seen in the corn fields of the
'Coleopte ra. Ar uhn hidac.
!rl'OR EO GR AI N I Ns rr'TS
,
A
B
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f'_' _ _ ~ _ _.f ,..,.., ( ..- ~ " ....
, 011 .. _ ......
6 AGRI CULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 500, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
South on exposed and damaged ears.
It lays eggs in the soft kernels of corn
and continues to breed after the corn
has been harvested a nd placed in
sto rage. This insect does not cause
much damage to co rn in storage.
since the corn becomes too hard to be
attractive. It may. however. be very
abunda nt locally in corn in Florida
during t he first 3 months of storage.
This weevil reportedly caus ed total
dest ruct ion of a sack of kafir seeds in
Hon olulu. Over th e country , th e
coffee bean weevil is a minor grain
pest.
W' -517"
Figure 5. - Coff ee bean weevil adult. about
three-sixteenths of an inch long.
GRAIN BORERS
Three species of grain borers arc
esta blished in the United Sta tes. The
lesser grain borer is widespread in the
grain centers of this country and is a
serious pes t of st ored grain . The
large r grain borer and t he bamb oo
powderpost beetle are confined to the
Southern St ates and are not of com-
mercial importance.
Lesser Grain Borer
The le ss e r grain b o r e r .
Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius).'
is one of the smallest beetles of those
injurious to grain in this country. It is
known to many grain dealers as the
Austr alian wheat weevil because of
t he lar ge supplies of infested wheat
that were imported from Aust ralia
'Coleoptera. Bost richidae.
dur ing World War I. It is widespread
in the Gulf States, and grai n samples
infested with t his beetle arc found in
all la rge gra in cente rs. The lesser
grain borer is readily distinguished
from other grai n pests by its slender
cylindrica l form and small size. It is
poli shed dark brown or black. with a
somewhat roughened surface. and is
about one-eight h of art inch long and
one thirty-second of an inch wide
(fig. 6A) . The larval and pupal stages
are illustrated in figure 7. This grain
borer belongs to a family of beetles
t hat has the head tu rned down under
the thora x and tha t is armed with
powerful jaws used for cutti ng into
wo od . O r igin all y nat i ve t o t he
Tropics. the lesser grai n borer has
spread through commerce to all part s
of the world.
6 AGRI CULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 500, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
South on exposed and damaged ears.
It lays eggs in the soft kernels of corn
and continues to breed after the corn
has been harvested a nd placed in
sto rage. This insect does not cause
much damage to co rn in storage.
since the corn becomes too hard to be
attractive. It may. however. be very
abunda nt locally in corn in Florida
during t he first 3 months of storage.
This weevil reportedly caus ed total
dest ruct ion of a sack of kafir seeds in
Hon olulu. Over th e country , th e
coffee bean weevil is a minor grain
pest.
W' -517"
Figure 5. - Coff ee bean weevil adult. about
three-sixteenths of an inch long.
GRAIN BORERS
Three species of grain borers arc
esta blished in the United Sta tes. The
lesser grain borer is widespread in the
grain centers of this country and is a
serious pes t of st ored grain . The
large r grain borer and t he bamb oo
powderpost beetle are confined to the
Southern St ates and are not of com-
mercial importance.
Lesser Grain Borer
The le ss e r grain b o r e r .
Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius).'
is one of the smallest beetles of those
injurious to grain in this country. It is
known to many grain dealers as the
Austr alian wheat weevil because of
t he lar ge supplies of infested wheat
that were imported from Aust ralia
'Coleoptera. Bost richidae.
dur ing World War I. It is widespread
in the Gulf States, and grai n samples
infested with t his beetle arc found in
all la rge gra in cente rs. The lesser
grain borer is readily distinguished
from other grai n pests by its slender
cylindrica l form and small size. It is
poli shed dark brown or black. with a
somewhat roughened surface. and is
about one-eight h of art inch long and
one thirty-second of an inch wide
(fig. 6A) . The larval and pupal stages
are illustrated in figure 7. This grain
borer belongs to a family of beetles
t hat has the head tu rned down under
the thora x and tha t is armed with
powerful jaws used for cutti ng into
wo od . O r igin all y nat i ve t o t he
Tropics. the lesser grai n borer has
spread through commerce to all part s
of the world.
sroneu GItAIN INHA-'TS 7
A
hI"" (i, I00.... ,,,, . _ ,. "'-' .... k. .....,_ ""_,...._ _ ......
"_1 l ...... IAI. . _
8 AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 500, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
Both the beetles an d larvae cause
serious damage in warm climates by
attacking a grea t variety of grains.
Figure 8 shows how dest ruct ive they
can be to wheat kernels. which. in
th is case , were liter all y riddlcd by thc
boring of the adults a nd their larvae.
Th e damaged kernels a re always sur-
rounded by powder from the chewed-
up grain.
Each female lays 300 to 500 eggs
and deposits them, singly or in clus-
ters, upon the loose grai n. The eggs
hatch in a few days, and t he small
wh it i sh g rubs. o r l a rv ae . cra wl
actively about the grai n, and feed on
the flour produced by th e bori ng bee-
tles or bor e directly int o gra ins tha t
have been slightl y damaged. Th ey
comple te th eir growt h wit hin the
grain, transform into white pupae.
and, in time. change into adult bee-
lies. which cut their way out of the
grai n. In summer, the period from
egg t o adult is about I mon th .
Larger Grain Borer
Th e larger grai n borer, Pros-
t ephanus { r unco /us ( H o r n ). ! is a
s mall . da rk -b ro wn, elongate-
cylindri cal beetle about one-sixth of
an inch long. It is very similar in
appearance to the lesser grain borer,
but may be distinguished fro m tha t
insect by its larger size and compara-
tively smoot h, polished surface (fig.
9A).
This t ropi cal insect has limi ted di s-
tribution in this country. It is occa-
siona lly foun d infesting corn in the
Sou th and has been reported from
Tex as, Californ ia. and th e Distri ct of
Col umbia. Simi lar to the lesser grain
borer in hab it s, it belongs to a family
of beetl es that is main ly des tructive to
timber. Like the lesser grain borer. it
ha s pro ba bl y acqu i red the gra in-
feeding habi t rather recently.
Another member of the family, the
bamboo powder post beet le, Dinod-
H:"-JOti J
figure S.- Whenl kernels thoroughly riddled and devoured hy bo ring and feeding of lesser grain
bo rer and its larva.
c
A
I
D
B
ON-30M
Figure 9.-Larger grain borer: A, adult; B, larva; C, pupa; D, antenna of adult.
erus minutus (Fabricius);' occa-
sionally infests stored grain in the
United States. It has been reported
from Louisiana and Florida. In gen-
eral appearance, it resembles the
larger grain borer (fig. 6B).
GRAIN MOTHS
The term "grain moth" includes
only those moths capable of
destroying sound, unbroken grain
kernels. They are not as abundant as
the flour moths, which are principally
pests in broken, damaged kernels or
milled products.
Angoumols Grain Moth
The Angoumois grain moth, Sito-
troga cerealella (Olivier)," is a small
buff or yellowish-brown moth with a
wing expanse of about one-half inch.
"Lepidoptera. Gelechiidae.
This is the moth most commonly
found in infested grain in this
country, and it is not likely to be con-
fused with any other grain moth. It
attacks all cereal grains, is found in
all parts of the world, and is particu-
larly injurious in the South, where it
attacks grain both in the field and in
storage. In the North, it survives the
winter mainly in the larval form in
kernels of grain in storage or in scat-
tered wheat in litter, straw piles, and
baled straw. The emerging moth flies
to the wheatfields in May and
deposits eggs upon the developing
grain.
10 AGRI CULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 500, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRI CULTURE
Under normal conditions. each
female lays an average of 40 eggs;
alt hough, under favorable conditions.
individual moths have been known to
lay as ma ny as 389 eggs. The eggs.
which a re white when first laid . soon
cha nge to a reddish colo r. They are
laid on wheat heads, on the exposed
tips of corn ea rs in the field. or on
stored grain .
Upon hat ching, eac h larva cra wls
to a kernel of grain a nd oft en spins a
small entrance cocoon to assist it in
bo ring into the hard kernel. Afte r
enteri ng the grain. it feeds on ei ther
t he endosperm or the germ until fully
grown. It then eats out a cha nnel to
the outside of the seed and makes a
weakly fastene d flap at the exit by
cutting the shell one-half 10 three-
fourt hs of the ci rcumference of a
circl e. The larva then spins a silken
co coo n a nd c ha nges to a redd ish-
brown pupa. La t er. as a moth, it
pushes its way thr ough the flap , The
per iod fro m egg to adult may be
completed in 5 weeks. although
development is usua lly slower.
Widespread use of the combi ne
ha rvester ha s reduced wheat damage
by th is moth to a minimum. How-
ever, in the southern portion of the
co mme rci al corn-growing area, it
pe riodi ca lly causes heavy losses to
stored corn. Figur e 10 sho ws an ear
of corn with the external evidence of
a hea vy a tt ack by the Angoumois
grain moth. Figure I I shows the suc-
cessive stages in the development of
thi s insect in a kernel of wheat . from
egg to adult. Figure 12A shows the
ad ult mot h.
Pink Scavenger
Caterpillar
The pink scavenger caterpillar.
Sathrobrota riley; (Walsingharnj.' is
the larva. or caterpillar. of a small
mo th. It is pink, wit h a pale-brown
head a nd tho ra cic shie ld. and is
about five-sixteent hs of an inch long
whe n fu ll y gro wn (fi g. 12C). The
moth which develop s from t bis larva
' Lcpidopteru. Cosmoptcng iduc.
B ~ J 6 6
Figure 1O.-Ear of corn showing heavy infestation by the Angoumois grain moth. Not e that cer-
tain kernels have three emergence holes. and that many kernels have served as food for two lar-
vae .
STORED GRAI N INSEC, 'TS
Female moth lays egg on grain kemal .
The larva emerging from egg gnaws a
hole, no lar ger than a pin prick, through
which it enters the kernel.
Kernel cut showing entrance
channel. Larva feeds and
grows. enlarging cavit y.
11
ANGOUMOIS
GRAIN MOTH
DEVELOPMENT IN WHEAT
The tull-grown larva is as
long as kernel in which it
has eaten out a large cavi ty .
The pupa is t he stage
between larva and
adult moth .
The moth leaves
kernel by round
hole shown .
8:'oi -3067
f- i gur e l Lc-- Life cycle of t he Angoumoi s grai n mot h on '"heat.
12 AGRICULTURE NO , MO, U.S. ner-r. OF ACKlcULTURE
11. - (;,"" motn. 14' . ... J"" .."n ' ''' ''' , p", ""''"'.'' co",,,,""
. d"lo; ' .... ' , p'" ""' " . ... <a",p,LI " \a " .
imalle, Ihan lh,
mot h. wil h a wing e' panse of ,lighlly
I.., l han half on inch 1281. 1 ho
fo,ewi ng, handed and mon ied
wilh ydlow. lodd..h bro" n, and
black, The
w ry ,I,nd<l and are ...ith

Th; , i, comm"n ,n In,
SOUlh. il ,au...
inju'J 10 <orn. n"th in Ih. fi.1d
in Inf..lal;On in Ih.
field and con, inu", ali., Ih. <orn "
placed in 13 ,how,
com bl' lan-a<. A
relia bl. indicalion of Ino pro-on." of
Ini. i, amount of
1"",, 1)' ...ohbl fro" lhal filb Iho
inl"'li, bcl.....n the 01 fill,
Ih, cavil i.. of parl ;ally h rn<l,
Tho w'hil, ' u' u,uallj' laid
, ingly. occ.,ionall)' in 1"'0, 0' Ih,.."
Th, pinki;h la"a f.I, "" tho ",I ,
hu, k. and cob wilh equal r<l;,h . The
piok .. ",".rpilla' " seldom a
" ri o". 1""1 of ,mm<lcial ,h,pmonl"
hUI rt i, 01 ser;om injul)' 10
<om. a, il ro m< 10
mal u, il)' in th, f..ld or ...h;le in Ihc
c,ih on SOUl n,m fa m"
European Grain Moth
Tho Europoan mOlh. .-\'rm</
P"iI'''' (\ .innaru , ), i,
mOlh abou t t n. .lte of Iho
An8"u m", . mnlh and;,
" h il e an d h, n il)' mo1tlod wll b
b",...n (fi8' 14), Th, motlled
ano. di.l,n gU"h il fro m In.
Angoumni, mOlh. It ,nfe, '- all
kind, of hOlh io th, fir 1d and
in ",o,,,,e, Th. la",'o fced, on Ihe
a nd w. h. Ihe kern. 1>
Th;, m01 h ;, fOUnd Ih.
'>; orlh<ln S101e< bUi ;, n<>1 \'Ory ahun
dOni and cannol <nmpaled ...;In
Ihe Angonmoi. molh in
d"I,u<t;,'en."
Rice Molh
Th. mOlh,
lonica (Slalnlonj. ' has a
"I 'r,d""" ,.,.. I,",,,,,,
I I', .. ' ,d><
STORED GRAIN INSECTS
13
" :\ -3071
Figur e D.- Cut ea r of co rn showing char ac-
re ri snc feed ing a nd dest ructi on by pink
scavenger cater pilla r larva e. La rvae eat fro m
one kern el to another an d often sever ker-
nels fro m cob. Larva e so met imes eat into
co b and t ransform into pupae t here. Pupae
a rc a bout one-t hird as long as t he kernel"
shown.
expanse of a bout half an inch and is
pal e gr ayi sh brown or lawny (fig. 15).
The larva somewhat resembles that of
th e Ind ian meal moth . When full y
grown. the larva is a bout half a n inch
long and varies in color from whit e to
8 ~ . O N l
Fi gure l-t. c- European grain moth adult . Adu lt
has a wing expa nse of a bout one-ha lf of an
inch.
.- o 0
,I
:!
....
'C'''.
Rs )On
Figure IS.- Rice mot h adu lt: teft , dor sal view wit h wings spread ; right, side view wit h wings
folded to body. Ad ull has a wing spread of about one-half of an inch.
14 AGHl CUl.T URE HANDBOOK NO. 500, U.S. DEPT. OF AGHICULTURE
a dirty, slightly blui sh gray with occa-
sional tints of green (fig. 16).
Damage by this pest , as with all
moth pests, is done by the larvae,
which a re rather ge ne ral feeders.
They attack such mat erials as rice,
cocoa, chocolate, dried fruit , biscuits,
and seeds. The larvae produce a
dense webbing as they become fully
grown. When feeding upon grai ns,
they spin dense silken tub es and web
the grain kernels into the walls of the
tubes. Th e moth s live I to 2 weeks,
and each female lays 100 to 200 eggs.
I n summe r, the development period
from egg to adu lt is abo ut 6 weeks.
Th e rice moth has not as yet become
very widely spread in this country.
B ~ J J
Figure 16. l-ull-gro.... n larva of the rice mot h. about one- half of an inch long.
FLOUR MOTHS
Among the 1I0ur moth s are some
of the commonest and most serious
pests of gra in products. They are des-
ignated as flour moths. not because
t hey feed enti re ly u pon fl our or
milled product s, but becau se t hey
seldom attack sound kernels. These
insects prefer broken grains, grains
injured by maj or grain pests. and
more especially milled cereal prod-
ucts such as 1I0ur. break fast foods.
and meals. All thr ee 1I0ur moths are
commonly found in grain ware-
hou ses, but t he Indian meal moth
and the meal moth are pro bably the
most frequentl y reported. Thes e two
mot hs may, un der exceptionally
favorable conditions, become estab-
lished in whole grai n and ot her seeds
and cause injury. especia lly by eating
out the germ.
Indian Meal Moth
The Indian meal mot h. Plodia
interpunctella (Hub ner),' is a rather
handsome moth with a wing expanse
of nea rl y three -fourths of an inch
(figs. 17 and ISA). It is easily dis-
tingui shed from other grain pests by
the peculiar markings of its fore-
wings, which are redd ish bro wn with
a co pper luster on the outer t w o-
thi rds but whitish gray on the inner
or body ends.
Each female moth lays 100 to 300
14 AGHl CUl.T URE HANDBOOK NO. 500, U.S. DEPT. OF AGHICULTURE
a dirty, slightly blui sh gray with occa-
sional tints of green (fig. 16).
Damage by this pest , as with all
moth pests, is done by the larvae,
which a re rather ge ne ral feeders.
They attack such mat erials as rice,
cocoa, chocolate, dried fruit , biscuits,
and seeds. The larvae produce a
dense webbing as they become fully
grown. When feeding upon grai ns,
they spin dense silken tub es and web
the grain kernels into the walls of the
tubes. Th e moth s live I to 2 weeks,
and each female lays 100 to 200 eggs.
I n summe r, the development period
from egg to adu lt is abo ut 6 weeks.
Th e rice moth has not as yet become
very widely spread in this country.
B ~ J J
Figure 16. l-ull-gro.... n larva of the rice mot h. about one- half of an inch long.
FLOUR MOTHS
Among the 1I0ur moth s are some
of the commonest and most serious
pests of gra in products. They are des-
ignated as flour moths. not because
t hey feed enti re ly u pon fl our or
milled product s, but becau se t hey
seldom attack sound kernels. These
insects prefer broken grains, grains
injured by maj or grain pests. and
more especially milled cereal prod-
ucts such as 1I0ur. break fast foods.
and meals. All thr ee 1I0ur moths are
commonly found in grain ware-
hou ses, but t he Indian meal moth
and the meal moth are pro bably the
most frequentl y reported. Thes e two
mot hs may, un der exceptionally
favorable conditions, become estab-
lished in whole grai n and ot her seeds
and cause injury. especia lly by eating
out the germ.
Indian Meal Moth
The Indian meal mot h. Plodia
interpunctella (Hub ner),' is a rather
handsome moth with a wing expanse
of nea rl y three -fourths of an inch
(figs. 17 and ISA). It is easily dis-
tingui shed from other grain pests by
the peculiar markings of its fore-
wings, which are redd ish bro wn with
a co pper luster on the outer t w o-
thi rds but whitish gray on the inner
or body ends.
Each female moth lays 100 to 300
HlUIl F. D GIIAIS INllECTS
"
."-....
t .. . .. I ' _ I _.1__,_
.- a .... _ ... -,
" '1 -
opt.. . in,i)' Of in , roup.. on food
.....1..' . 1. Wit h.... r... dIIy.. I M . W
hold! .IKI .mall .h,I,'" ",.t. or
C.I.fp, II..., .m.f' . Th... Ill ......
te.d up on If.in . , f.in pfodu<;l..
dried fruitl. nUI...nd afh.. . id.
' .finy or rond.. uff.
.....h.n fully , fo.. n. lh. IlIf"" i.
ollnul half .n in. h Inn, and i. diny
"'hi' e, ... m.limn \'a,yin, 10 g' eeni'"
and pinki. h hu ,f ig. 188). n . ,a"'a
p;n. a .. Ikon cocoon and If. ,,,fo, m.
,nlo It,hlob,,,,,,n pupa, from ...hid!
the adul l mOlh IKI 1. 1. ,
....., Dun", .. arm . a 'h. f, th.
IIKI mal moth lTIlIy pa.. Ihrou,h
IM.g.. lanlli. .nd pupal .1&1" io {I
10 ' . ed..
n.e Ill",. of 1M India" mao.! moth
.pi.... .. elI il lJecome. fully ' 10"' 0
and 10.0'1110 Ik... thJad bdlind
II d.. Th t'bbon. is
oI"t... d """",h 10 .n 11.....
l ioo ...h ch or .,,( ked ( 0 .....
meal or cvrO in Ihe a r (thaI .
be . .. p. n io u. ly i"j u' ed by Olhe,
Jl'"!, ) ..... IJecome /tao.ily inr...ed
I ii..
Medll.uenn Flour
Moth
The Medue" a...." flou, mol h.
A" Q,o:""' Q klWlr"wll" (Z.llu).' h a
.. in,. p,ead of . ii,hll)' I... Ihan I
inch. In hind.. in, , din y ...hit. ,
and Ih. [o, ...;n,. _ ...hich .Ion ho..
..h. n Ih. mOl h i. nol flyin, _. '
,_ ,, _,_ _ Ufo.l_.... _-..-.I_.... _.ton.........
..._---
1 6 AGRI CULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 500, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
Figure 19.- Ear of co m with characteristic
loose webbing left by larvae of Indian meal
moth. This moth rarely attac ks sound grain
but often attacks grain already inj ured by
other grain pests. as shown here. Webbing
develops only when grains are not moved
for some time.
pale leaden gray with transve rse,
wavy. black markings (fig. 20A. 8) .
Thi s flou r moth is a native of
Europe. It wa s first found in t he
United States in California in 1892.
Since then. it has become widespread
over the country and for many year s
was considered the most troublesome
pest of flour mills. The larva spi ns
silken thread wherever it goes and
webs and mats together particles of
foo d on whi ch it is feeding. The
ma tted fl our some ti mes dogs the
machinery in flour mills and causes
milling operators to stop. In mills
t hat have an annual fumigat ion. thi s
insect is no longer a major problem.
Although it prefers flour and meal,
the Med iterranean flour moth atta cks
gr a in. bran . ce rea l product s. and
many other foodstuffs.
The female moth lays small white
eggs in accumulations of flour . meal,
or waste grai n. Within a few days. a
small larva emerges from each egg
(fi g. 20C). When fu lly grown , the
larva is about hal f an inch long and is
whitish or pinkish, with a few small
black spots on the body. The full-
grown larva spins a silken cocoon. in
which the insect transforms into a
reddish-brown pupa (fig. 20D). Later.
the adul t moth emerges from the
pu pa . During wa r m weather, the
Mediterranean flour moth requires 8
to 9 weeks to pass through the egg,
larval. and pupal stages.
Three ot her insect species occa-
sionally infest grai n or cereal prod-
uct s. They a re th e almond moth,
Cadra cautella (Walker), the tobacco
moth, Ephesti a elutella (Hubner),
and the ra isin moth , Cadra figulilella
(Gregson). Of the three, the almond
moth is the most t roublesome pest
(fig. 18C). It is commonly found in
seed stores and is a serious pest of
rough rice and grain sorghum in the
South,
Meal Moth
The meal moth, Pyralis f arinalis
Linna eus, ? is brown ish, somewhat
larger than the Indian meal moth
(though it varies in size), and usually
has a wingsprea d of about I inch.
'w'"
-.
' 0
17
BS J078
Figure 20.- Mediterranean flour moth: A. adult (dOfSOII view) with wings spread; 8. adult (side
view) in resting position: C. larva; D. pupa (enlarged); E. abdo minal joint of larva (enl arged) .
Adult moth has a wing expanse of slightly less than I inch.
Figure 21C shows the characteristic
marki ngs or patt ern of the forewings.
They a re lig ht br own wi th d a r k-
brown patches at t he bases and tips,
and each forewing has two wavy,
tra nsverse white lines.
Th e meal moth is widely distrib-
uted and, in the larval stage, is a gen-
era l feeder upon cereals, cereal prod-
ucts, hay, and many types of dried
vegetable matt er. It is usually found
in damp basements or in other places
where acc u mulatio ns of d amp,
spoiled grai n, bran. or meal a re
foun d. Though it prefers mat erial
that is damp and in poor condi tion,
the meal moth may attack a nd
seve rely da mage sound wheat or
cerea l product s, if t hese mate rials are
stored in moist places or have a rela-
tively high moisture content.
Meal moth larvae so met imes
attract much attenti on because of
their capacit y to "web-up" and bind
together seeds of various kinds. The
larvae cut through burlap sacks and
can damage them greatly when heavy
infestations develop in the sacked
mat erial. Fi gure 22 shows the charac-
teri stic "webbin g togethe r" of infested
seeds (in this inst ance navy bean s).
Figure 23 shows the tendency of the
larvae t o spin th ei r whiti sh silken
cocoons on the outside of grain sac ks
where t he sacks touch one another.
When the larvae cut sacks, the seeds
fall out and lodge where the sacks
touch. In such places, the seeds are
usually heavily infested.
The meal moth larva is whitis h,
and, when fully gro wn, is about I
inch long (fig. 21B). Th e larva shows
a cont rast bet ween the black of the
head and the first body segment and
the white of the remainder of the
body. The body of the larva is often
tinged with orange toward each end.
The larvae spin peculiar tubes of
silk t hat contain mixed particles of
food material. They r est in these
18 AGRI CULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 500, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRI CULTURE
A B c
B\ .'071J
Figure 21. - Mt' al mot h: A. pup a an d (ab ove! webbed grai n mass wit h portion 01 pupa pro-
tr uding; E, two well-grown larvae a nd ( right) smalle r larva: C. t wo ad ult mot hs. Marki ngs on
for ewings easily dist inguish this insect from ot her grai n pest s. Magni fied a bo ut 1 1/ 2 times.
tubes. which are very t ough. and feed
from the openi ngs at the ends . When
fu lly grown. th e larvae lea ve th e
tubes. spi n silke n coc oo ns (a lso often
co vered with foo d pa rticl es). a nd
t ransform int o pupae (fig. 21A) from
whi ch the adu lt moths lat er emerge.
The femal e moth lives about I
B ~ 3 ) 1 )
Figure 22.- l':av)' beans. webbed together by
meal mo t h lar vae, adhere to sac k.
week and lays 200 to 400 eggs. In
summer. the period from egg to adu lt
is 6 to 8 weeks.
B\; -JIHI
Figur e 23.- Whitish cocoons spun by meal
moth lan..ac on side of sack pr eviousl y filled
wit h infested seed. Not e da rk pupae within
cocoons, vet ch seed ..... ebbed to sa ck by lar-
vae. a nd (cente r) adu lt moth .
STORED GRAIN INSEGTS
GRAIN AND FLOUR BEETLES
19
Cadelle
The ca del le, Ten ebroides mau-
ritanicus (Linnae us),s is an elongate.
oblong. flattened. black or blackish
beetle about one- thi rd of an inch long
(fig. 24A). It is sometimes called the
bolting-cl oth beetle becau se of its
habit of cutting the silk cloths of
bol ting reel s and redressing machines
in flour mill s.
Th e cadelle larva is one of the
largest of the grai n-infesti ng insects
and is eas ily recognized. It is about
th ree-fou rt hs of an inch long. fleshy.
"Coleoptera. ' rogo!'itidilc
A
with the abdomen terminating into
two dark horny point s (fig. 248) . The
larva bod y is a dirty or chalky white.
and the head. thoracic shield. and
two horny points are black .
This insect is widesp read over the
worl d a nd is freq uentl y fo und in
mill s. gran arie s. and sto re ho uses.
where i t infest s flour . meal. and
grain. Both the larva and adull feed
on grai n and have t he destructive
habit of going from kernel to kernel
devouring the germs . The cadelle is
one of the longest lived of the insects
that att ack stored grai n: man y of the
adulls live for more than I year and
some of them for nearl y 2 yea rs.
HN 30lSl PN 5177
Figur e 24.- Cadelle: Ufl, adult, about one-t hird of an inch long; right . larva, abo ut three-fourt hs
of an inch long.
20 AGlllClJLTlJllE HANIlIlOOK NO. eoo. Uil OF- no' or AGIl IClJLTUIll':
I.......k becl .. ""i_ " .......
'" her I,fe and. und.... I onob""",""
.n1l Y' .bou, 1.000 CW
n.. I , .. e1u....... '" .. .....
cp;> ill lood ,eriaL.. bid. lul teh ..
7'oIO ' "" ....' hcf.
110c romplftc: .Ioci. " 0,, ' 11
,,, 1 10 14 mon,ho ..... ,I>cn _ k .......
--.sed p"'" in .. hich ' 0 I..,.J_
,nu, 1M 1"'p"1 ...,.. 1hq I..... ucnd'
baR "" 0 , he limb.... '" ' llc ho n or
0' " " ,.c. p'ad. Ih. , ho lch ,h.
i" lnl ed ma'C'rial. ""'h ,I>c ....... a"'"
a.hlll u n Ii... r" , I"", pcri<>d
.. i,hou' foo d .nd " h.n uma,n
hidd.n in ,h. ,, """' .. o,k " I ' h. hin
10' a I"n, ,im f1., ,h. ha.
bcC1I te"mo.ed, When ......,.in i. pu,
,n'" ,he hin. i' hccomc. inl"' ed ,na
."tpn"n.ly l!Io" 11m .
sawloothed Grill" Bee n.
The ..._ 1Iocd , ra,.. becl le, ()f-r-
_po' b,' .............u fL"'.....k ..
.- of oAc bnl k........ '" .be coo-
.........1l&II , ...... pnl' II .
1111. lor_.. bert.. aboul 111 of
............... It p ,n. h I"""
lhe pccoIiar oIlUCl"te" of IIIc 'honoa.
.. hi<!o han ti. ....'1001I1hkc P"'F
, inn. 01\ h .id. If"" I, . ' loId ..
in botll the aI . tid adul' ........ all
f<><>d of ,,",..ahl. on,in "f'CCially
,.in and . ,.in p,,,do< '. _h a.
noo ... m I. b Hu ' 1,1Od.'ock
.nd poollry feed.. <"p, a. nUl mel'"
car.d'n, . r.d dried !rUIl .
Thc adol" h ., on .n a, . to
10 10 mon' h.. bol ..,mdolll may
liu Ion, a. ) , can. 1loc f.......l.
..,._-<;-
...... "
h i ." n _ _It _ .
-- ,.. _-......
\left.. "Y' aJ 10 ;,;, CU" She d....
llIom Iocrtdy ."""" 1110' I....,hcuff OC
luck> lhem inlo .. erc>>a: irt . kcmcl
of lIJ.in. 1M . man. oIC1ldc1. ..II"
en> IuItd1 ill ) 10 , dll)"
Tile ......' ,;n' Ia..... del ......loIl
...Ihin in. 1e .,ain \luI . ra.l aboo'
aa,\'Cly .r.d feed. Oorin ommc'.
Ih.,., hccomc folly n in .boo, 2
..'tth . 1 h. mllu" Ia l h. n oon
.1..,<1 del;". ,. ,.""nlik. <"...,in, _
by j" ,nin. 'ollclhn .....n , raint '"
I... . m..... 01 food"ofr i,h a tli<ky
.....' i"n. Wi1hi n 1h.K c. II. lh.
I...... c h. n 10 III . pUP'll ' la SC
.. lticb Ia." .boul I _cd , In ...m........
I'" period I,om." ,,,
adllll is 4-.to.
21
."' .daled 'pIn. , h. mad'ant
,rain b11r. Or"""ph,h., .....'./1'",
( hUHIl: .. " ftC" CORfu....! ,",10 'ht'
...". , >l1lN ,r.,.. bc'eIk II It
rom I) !(lUnd In 'filII I h.il" ,IK
.....loolMd ,no,.. Mrilot and
to p<d "" ....-d p.OI! ueto. mdudin,
" III.. C t p.<>dIlCh .., mott hk dy
0 .... ,nl '" " L1h ,Iu.,n>l . h&n , ""
, ""'"
In ,"" "'hanl ,,.," l>coo1 lr. 1M
" 'C d...m<ttf ..,.,. tU n ,h. kmpk
"',_ kflllld'M . and , head i ,
11""",11', " coml"l" " l1 h ,h,
om"lI Ind m ' II Ia.
h<ad , lit ..... . oo,1>td ' ''' ''' """'I,
may' M ....d. from f' . .... The
m '" '''''" ","", Jr .. 1100 oI" h, I)'
1I. , nd i. "d.rk lorn.. " tllan the
"'"',,o,Md ".,nhc<11.
Th. !lah" . and d dop""'" of , h
...... pin arc . im,I 1m, lh, me,
chan. , ,n I>a1k Iayo "".-half
1o ' .. o-tl....h mall)' cllI"
Squarenec:hd Gr.ln
Beetle
Tho "l .... '.II.dod 'flI'" btnle.
r",IoD,.... . ywa/J1 ro1lu ...
.. clooott y rd.IlnI ' " 1M
.... ' _ 'h.d , .ain 1> , 1., "hlda "
(lftat ly ...em!>," on form. '''C. "nd
col ... . II It " . ....Ion . pol_
.. n dd " h-h"u . "Mit .!<ou'
" ...... al . n >1101: 10 Ion . II
f.nm ' M ..... .-hod ""n b,
II. III"""" . "".....hlCh lack>
' ho ... ,,,,,,hl, k, r'OjMl<l nolfi. 27k
Th" hofllt to maln!)- ahund.n' In
tho S"uth. " hu e- it it I" und "utd"""
In , ..., num"".. In , he- >eal pod. " I
.....- _ ... __ __... __IAt. .._ ....
- -,,-. - ...._-
22 AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 500
t
U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
BN-308S
Figure 27.-Squarenecked grain beetle adult,
about one-tenth of an inch long.
a great variety of plants. It is one of
the most common beetles in stored
corn in the South and, in the corn-
fields, is always found on damaged or
exposed ears.
The immature stages closely
resemble those of the sawtoothed
grain beetles in both form and habit.
The larvae have the bad habit of
devouring the germs of the seeds in
which they breed. These insects
develop from egg to adult in about 3
weeks.
Foreign Grain Beetle
The foreign grain beetle,
Ahasverusadvena(Waltl),9 is a small
reddish-brown beetle somewhat sim-
Bar in appearance to the closely
related squarenecked grain beetle, but
is shorter and stouter (fig. 28).
Though of worldwide distribution,
it is not important as an enemy of
stored grains. It is attracted to damp
and moldy grains, where it feeds on
the molds. This insect is rarely found
in clean grain.
Mexican Grain Beetle
The Mexican grain beetle, Pha-
raxonotha kirschi Reitter ,10 is a
highly polished, deep-brown beetle
about three-sixteenths of an inch
long. It somewhat resembles the con-
fused flour beetle in general appear-
ance but can be readily distinguished
from that insect by its more polished
surface and longer antennae (fig.
29A).
This insect is common in Mexico
and Guatemala, where it breeds in
grain and grain products, but it is not
known to be established in the United
States.
Siamese Grain Beetle
The Siamese grain beetle, Lopho-
cateres pusillus (Klug),8 is a flattened
reddish-brown beetle slightly less
than one-eighth of an inch long. It is
characterized by the much flattened
margins of the thorax and wing
covers (fig. 30A).
This insect first appeared in this
country in exhibits of rice and cereal
from Siam, Liberia, and Ceylon at
the Columbian Exposition, and it is
now well established in the Southern
IOColeoptera, Languriidae.
23
BN-3086
Figure 28.-Foreign grain beetle adult.
States. It is commonly found in rice
mills in Texas but does not cause
serious damage.
Flat Grain Beetle
The flat grain beetle, Crypto/estes
pusi//us (Schoenherr)," is one of the
smallest beetles commonly found in
stored grain. It is a minute, flattened,
oblong, reddish-brown beetle about
one-sixteenth of an inch long, with
elongate antennae about two-thirds as
long as the body (fig. 31). It is cos-
mopolitan and is one the the com-
monest insect pests of stored grain.
However, this insect is not a primary
pest of stored grain, and the adult is
a p pare n t 1y unab1e to survive in
sound, uninjured grain. It follows up
the attack of the more vigorous grain
pests and is frequently found in enor-
mous numbers with the rice weevil.
This insect is a scavenger and often
infests grain and meal that are in
poor condition.
The females deposit small white
eggs in crevices in the grain or drop
them loosely upon farinaceous mate-
rial. The larvae are particularly fond
of the wheat germ, and, in infested
grain, many kernels are found unin-
jured except for the removal of the
germ. The larvae also feed on dead
insects. When fully grown, the larvae
form cocoons of a gelatinous sub-
stance to which food particles adhere.
They transform into the pupal stage
in these cocoons and later emerge as
adults. Under favorable conditions,
this insect may develop from egg to
adult in about 5 weeks, but the
average period of development in
summer is about 9 weeks.
A related beetle, C. turcicus
(Grouvelle), resembles the flat grain
beetle so closely in appearance and
habit that it is usually confused with
that insect. This beetle, also, is cos-
mopolitan and the females of the two
species are so similar that it is almost
impossible to distinguish between
them. The males, however, can be
distinguished from each other by the
length of the antennae. The antennae
of the C. turcicus male beetle are as
long as, or longer, than the body, but
the antennae of the flat grain beetle
male are only two-thirds as long as
the body.
2 4 AGRI CULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 50 0. U.S. DEPT. OF AGRI CULTURE
8:\ 3081
Figure 29.- Mcxican grain beetle: A, adult; B. larva: C. pupa: D. leg of larva; E. antennaof larva.
A, B. and C enlarged about 8 times: D and E greatly entargec .
Rusty Grain Beetle
A thi rd species, the rusty grain
beetle, Cry p t o lestes [e rrug ine us
(Stephens).' is similar to the Oat grain
beetle and C. turcicus beetle in
appearance and habit, but differs
fr om them in the antennae (fig. 32) of
the male beetle. which are not more
than half as long as the body. This
speci es is more resistant to co ld
weather than the other two species
a nd is mo re commonl y found in
stored grain in t he No rt hern States.
Confused Flour Beetle
Th e confused flour beetle, Tribo-
lium confus um Jacque lin du Val , " is
a shi ny, flatt ened. ova l. redd is h-
brown beet le about one-seventh of an
inch long. Th e head and upper part s
of th e t horax are densely covered
with mi nute punctures. The wing
covers are ridged lengthwise and are
sparsely punctured between the ridges
(fi g. 33) . This insect is distributed
"Coleoptera. Tcnebri omdac.
A
!rfOREDURAlS ISS],rtS
c

A \
I .
A
(
I
,
)
I
I ,
",."""
h f<.'O , 10m,., ",001, . ' . nI of C '" ,,' . f'. "" po ,...
..'o tld and i. \Cry .hunda.n
' ht ""J/lOlU .hi ",."')'. II i> a ,.....
..al fdor ....'cnal
.nd \I undoublcdly' ,hot 11>0II ahun-
donl . nd inJ.... n"".'n>ca J'e'I of flour
mIll. in , hot t"n, .cd St.l ... II IS r.....nd
,n , ranann. mill.. ... . nd
... horn... n t r todoch
.torcd.
Th. "".. lifo of ' h... 1>110' i,
. h" UI I y..... hut . um. I>n
knm. n 10 l.. lun, ., l ... .. q
mon,h., Thot lay. an
ul .bout &'50 " htdI .'" . mall
and .. ,n flour or nlhcr
f ood ....tmal ,n " Inch ,hot
t<J\ond ...llh .old, ........
li on. I hu . lIu nm,n, " " 11
n""r or meat .nd .dhot... '0
of lack . . nd
1..- .11 fI.. ..- Ioml< _ . -"'.
dIo-....", , _ _
-, " ..- .._,
21> iI. a<.lCULTlI Rt; so ,OIl, llEPT OF AllRICULTUlt E
"q".
h.u" Ru'" I"" 1><" . "u"
Red Flour Beetle
I h. 'M n"u' ",:<ell. , r " I",I",,,,
;, al m",t iden-
Heal m api""' ",ance ,,, 'he d,,,dy
rdatM e()nlu".d n"u' !>cetle, It can he
I",m l he n'nlu-e<! fh,u r
heetle " nh' wllh th< .id of a
The ,, ' the ",'nlu-ed
fl "u<<tle a nlenn"e in-
crea'" in ' i/CI,om the ha"" 10 Ihe " p'
Ihe la, ' Ie" " I {he
re<J th, ur !>celie .nlonn"e a re" hr" ptl;
mU"h l h"n ' he ,>I h...
l,p" I he head
"r ' he ml u>e<.l H"ur t>e<-ll<
" r< e' p"nd<d and n""'hed a' the
"''' h a ""I' l he e}'< l !>c pm-
n"Wm " wide" al Ih< anterio r th ird
The h<"d " ' ' he I'M 11,,0'
t>e<-l Ieare "" arl;' ennlinu" u, al Iheeye-
"nd d" n,,1 h... " "w r Ihe C\<
e"nIal no" , C" n,,",< uen' l) . lI",h m.l<
plan-d in Ihe "(lnla ine""
inlc' lc'<!, 1 he hal ch in 5 ,,, 12
"nd , ma ll. " in '. ,i<nd...
d",al. ,, "' mli k< la " a <
\\ he n t ull} aTe a hou'
IhT.. ..nth, "' "n meh and
are "hile " ith 1 he",
I",,"" Iced "n 11"", ,,' "l hor mal... i,,1
, ,,,'h .' du ,1 and tho hr" hn
'uri","o' 01 kernel"
Whe n t ull\ the la"ao
lr"n , t"rm inl" ' mall naked pup"e, .... 1
li"l "hl1e in e"'''r. lhe pup"<
h' )"""" and Ih,' n 10
h,,,,, " and. ,h"rth "It<","rd,. Iran, -
lmm ,n'" h " <,- In 'ummer.
I h<F"',i,>d fr"m ell<' h)
" <eb unci .. I. , "'ahl <
" eath<r ",," dih,, n,, hut the lit< q de
h,' mid" <a'her. , '."" ,H l ""I,,'um I,'".,u,,-..I , 11"" ,,..,
a' i, lrue "I all F""h ,,"""
27
I he p",n,,'um " .. "'he middle
1he d,II. ,.......... hcI", ..n the ' " ''
' J"' '"'' aU' . h" .. n ,n fl,uU' ,14
I hI> 'n.....1" ...."' .. ,ed
" l1 h thc ".nlu'Cd n.... ' "0011. and
ha , mda ' I.cd,n, and h, c.d,n,
h,;"hl1 . I h. 'mma' ''' . "a,... or ,h.
'" '' ,n:" rc ... ,"n,I., ,ha, 11 '"
,mp" .... ,hl. I" d ,,"",u,..tI hot"' .....
,hcII' I hc .k'd"pm.nt.. 1 rc.i<>d
II. "" 'W h ' .001 ..1, ..>me-
.. h,;", ,ho'''c, d... n , he ",...I..
"".. , "'....Ie \ I' ,h ,I " "",.
m" p"lll.n. , h,' . cd rh..., hoo1 le "
'".. nd m"., .'"mm"nl} ,n ,h.
... " .., hc,n n, t,' d "''''c. , ",h... '.
.. u"". 'c", "",,,,,,. d........ ,,, ".,n
p""ju.,. In ....d" ..... ,,, lhe d. ....., "
" ... u.", ed,n, . , h" ,n...,.,
'n,I'->'" a ....'u.."u ......,11 .nd ,.', . ,,,
lhe ma,"".1 'I 'nl .....', I ,I. . ,he ."".
{u....-d 11".., "'''''lie. , h. , ed 11".., ....., 1.
i , a 1"<''' " f milled r'''d.....
II ,. r'"'"" ' ,n ,'a'" .h, pm. n".
.. he, , aU..., ,, "l}' ..'" d.. " and
,he ."'1.'..... ,,{ h",. ... h.".,..
" ,. ... ., a ,...... ,,' "'m.....taal
.h,p",",,"
Ameri can Bl ack Flour
Beetl e
l he A.......... n hlac' flo.", . hoo1k.
T"Io<oI_.-. .. Iound
a-.tornmon/} ou<duc>n., II .. '" " "''''
......>n.tnhl ,""lItl)." "' .......f...od
", " h {he ...."",all r -Ir...
",h",h 'I in
and kahil' IIi,
.' \I' ...... , h ...>1 .., ",.11 k_ n a. the
eonl..>ed .nd I'ftl n,,,,. hoo11oo-. 'I .
..imila, h,;"h,.. and ,. ' ... a'''
,.",nd 'nl ...."'" , ,n and , ra,"
prod".,. ,n II"", mill< and
""Kh"........
I _"-'-0_''--' __ =,...,__
,...,--,--,--,, -_. _,...,,---
28 Il A!'oI I:l BOOK /';0. MO, ua. DEn , Of AGRICULTUln;
JS.- H"", 01"" .<, MI'I..-i ",o bI"l 0" . , 011, IId nH. S. Iuo.".dnl /In., _ "IId , Lt
C. 0o. , _I, .d._, fl, '''''' '',,-nl n"", .......... ,,,, f:, d..".."" 00"' ....."
.d,,,
Thi . iddom found in
inj uriuu. numh." and i. no
m. an, a. " 'd.-p,. ad a. T, m njwum
and T. cQ.l1an t'Um, It o<cln. in il.
groal.,l . hunda n in Ih. Rod y
Sl ol, bUl ;1 ha' IIn
r.ponod from " idd y liCau.,-od poinl'
''''cr lh. coumry. h be
hom lh, ,onfu'Od ond
rod fluur IIIlCll h)' it. hlack color
and larger . i,., Thi' ;n!iCet ihoul
On.... iXl h of an inch Inf"UIl;on
of pouh r)' b)' T, d."rUCIO'
anolh" '1''" of
lhi. dCllltueti, . group of nou' 1111,
,,u , .ponod from ... L
Canad . h "... introducod from
Europ(.
Longheaded Flour
Beelle
Th. loo@h. adod fl" u, IIII. , 1",11-
u,,"Zd' W. l<Thou' . , " i , a
, l""d", httll. It"
than one-eighth of an inch long. It is
somewhat similar in form to the con-
fused flour beetle but is narrower and
is pale yellowish brown (fig. 35B).
The beetle is further differentiated
from the confused flour beetle by the
peculiarly shaped antennae and the
minute canthus behind each eye.
The longheaded flour beetle has
been reported from most parts of the
world as having infested wheat, rice,
corn, barley, rye, flour, and similar
products. It was first recognized in
this country from specimens collected
in Texas in 1908 and is now wide-
spread in the Southern and Middle
Western States, where it is common
in rice and flour mills. This beetle
infests grain and grain products in
the mills and causes the same type of
damage as that done by the confused
flour beetle.
Slenderhorned Flour
Beetle
The slenderhorned flour beetle,
Gnatocerus maxillosus (Fabricius), II
is closely related to the broadhorned
flour beetle and is of similar form and
appearance (fig. 35C). It is about one-
eighth of an inch long. In addition to
its smaller size, this insect may be
distinguished from the broadhorned
flour beetle by the slender incurved
"horns" with which mandibles or jaws
of the male are armed. Its habits are
similar to those of the broadhorned
flour beetle, but it is less common in
the United States and is more or less
confined to the Southern States.
Smalleyed Flour Beetle
The smalleyed flour beetle, Pal-
orus ratzeburgi (Wissmann), II is the
smallest of the flour beetles that
infest grain and grain products in this
country. It is tiny, somewhat oblong,
flattened, shiny, reddish-brown beetle
about one-tenth of an inch long (fig.
35D). This insect occurs throughout
the world and is widely distributed in
this country. It breeds in grain and
milled products and is frequently
found in flour-mill basements.
Depressed Flour Beetle
The depressed flour beetle, Pal-
orus subdepressus (Wollaston), II is
similar in appearance and habits to
the smalleyed flour beetle. It is
slightly larger than that species, and
the sides of the front of the head are
strongly reflexed and extend back-
ward to conceal the front portions of
the eyes (fig. 35E). In the smalleyed
flour beetle, the sides of the front do
not extend backward. The depressed
flour beetle, also, is cosmopolitan but
is much less common in the United
S ta tes than the s malleyed flour
beetle, except perhaps in the Great
Plains.
Broadhorned Flour
Beetle
The broadhorned flour beetle,
Gnatocerus cornutus (Fabricius), II
owes its name to the peculiar struc-
ture of the mandibles, or jaws, of the
male beetle, which are armed with a
pair of broad, stout "horns." It is a
stout, reddish-brown beetle about
3 0 AGR ICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 500 , U.S. DEPT . OF AGRI CULT URE
o ne-s ix th of a n inch lo ng. and it
clos ely resemb les th e other flour bee-
tl es in a ppeara nce but is easily di s-
t inguished fro m them by the pecul ia r
structure of its jaws (f ig. 36). It is cos -
mopolitan and is common in all parts
of the United States, except in the
Great Plains. where it is compara-
tively rare. This insect prefers to feed
in flour and meal but is found in a
va riety of grains. The adult beet les
frequently live for I yea r o r longer.
The fe ma le la ys 100 to 200 small
white eggs which hatch in 4 to 6 days
in warm weather. The developme nt
period from egg to adult is 6 to 8
week s.
Larger Black Flour
Beetle
The la rger hlack flour hectic, Cyn-
aeu.'i anguJtuJ ( Le'Conte j.' ? described
in I X52, was little known as a pest of
stored grain and grain products until
9 ~ 9 when it was found in a flour
mill in Seattle. in stored wheat in
Kansas. and in stored corn in Iowa.
It is now fairly common in farm-
sto red grain in the Nort h Central
States. It is a stout. reddish-brown or
black hect ic about one-fourth of an
inch lo ng (fig. 37) . Th is insect is
known to live for 6 months and may
B'\-J094 1i:\" JfN5 H:"-J096
Figure J6.- Hroadhorned flour beetle: l eft . larva: C'f'fI{f'r. pupa: ri1(lI / . adult . Adult is about one-
sixth of an inch tong.
un GRAIN I NSf:L-rS
. ...... t? 1M,.. IIbd ""'" .
_ ,....." "' .. -" "'"
II.. ro. I...... I b , or.
,'"nd,t",",. lb. fmm
to nn I>< c<>mpl.loo in 4
.. cel . , !<Ul it u.....U) ' "'I u" " lO to
" h I hi, In\Cl;l ,raIn th.t
" in m"i,tur.,
EGGS OF FLOUR AND GRAIN INSE CTS
<Il' III c"mm"n Il"" r-
and ..tlnJ In....."
.n arc
.. h;tnd ' f< " I,.n C",.rN " ;th a
' lldl ." 1 ...., ' ha' <l U... JIInicl..
of fl"'" o .... 1. ".1 10 ..Jh<rc
10 Ih...,. thu k,n' ' h<Tn dlfflcul '
10 d Ill""" from lho too.:ht"ff ;n
d......,lod. ......... u '
"' .. Of obl<>rlfl _.L .nd olho'"
.......... and ,plndk .bapod n.e..
...... 11 .. .. Jodl ,n
;\II. hictl ._. 11.. """. of lour dll
.......1 .,........ ot on p,,"" 01
IOXX "I k ho,ll;n, d"l h. Ih. Cll' "f
tho nit J" ,n ... ,rna llthll,
if , ;lk b)' . " " Id
"' <raJ< a b",,' IloO pn" ;nrn, 1 b""" of
,b. cadell e. " h;cll .. "f lar,",
bodl.. ,h.. ,III ... >101'fd p'od-
"c". ,f p ll ced .nd te> mol. """id
..... ,bO"1 III PC' 'nch,
1)" n", ' ho rl'Ott'Uo ot mIll"" flout
and p'C'f'In n, " 10' t he .... ' l ... ,he
flou' hod th......'h .. Ik ""ltin,
dol h ' 0 e ,nW<"! <JP and ochef
' mpu ...
32 AGRI CULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 500, U.S. DEPT . OF AGRICULTURE
B\ -JOl1H
Fi gure JIL Eggs o f fl our a nd grai n road horned fl our beetle: H, cadellc: C.
Medit erranean Oour moth: l ) , confused flour beetle. Photo greatly enla rged.
MEALWORMS
The term "mea lworm" applies to
the larvae of severa l beetles of the
famil y Tenebrionidae that are noc-
turnal and frequent dark places. They
breed in refuse grain, coarse cereal,
and mill product s t ha t accumula te in
dark corners, under sacks , in bi ns.
and in similar pl aces. They inhabit
moist pl a ces a nd a re o fte n found
amo ng slightly damp bags.
Yellow Mealworm
The yell ow mealworm, Tenebrio
m o li to r Linnaeus. !' is o ne o f the
largest insects that infest stored cereal
products. This insect is cosmopolitan;
in t he United States, it is abundant
only in the Northern St at es.
T he a d ult is a po lished d a rk -
brown or bl ack be et le some wha t
more than half an inch long (fig.
39A). Its thorax is finel y punctured,
and its wing covers ar e long itudinall y
st riated or grooved. The fema le lays
bean-shaped white eggs covered with
a stic ky sec re t io n t ha t ca uses the
fl our. mea l. or grain waste in whi ch
they are placed to ad here 10 them.
Th e eggs hatch in about 2 weeks and
s lende r whit e larva e eme rge. The
larva e soo n turn yellow and assume
t he fo rm shown in figure 39C. When
STORED GRAIN lNSEt"J'S 3 3
A B
c
F,_ ".-111 _ A , " _ '. .... _ c..- __
__ ""'D " _
fully grown, the larvae are about I
inch long and are yellowish, shading
to yellowish brown toward each end
and at the articulation of each seg-
ment. The yellow mealworm gets its
name from the yellowish color of the
larvae.
There is but one generation each
year. The adults begin to appear in
the latitude of Washington, D.C., in
late May and early June and may be
,found until late in August. The
female beetles are quite prolific, and
each may lay as many as 500 eggs.
The larvae become fully grown in
about 3 months, but, instead of trans-
forming into the pupal and adult
stages, they continue to feed and molt
until cold weather and then hiber-
nate. Later on, in late spring or early
summer, they transform into the
pupal stage for about 2 weeks.
Because the yellow meal worm has
but one generation each year and is
entirely an external feeder upon
grains, it is not a serious pest.
Screening and fanning will easily
remove it from grain shipments. The
well-grown larva, however, can do
serious injury to whole grains under
certain conditions, when grain is held
for long periods without being
moved.
Dark Mealworm
The dark mealworm, Tenebrio
obscurus Fabricius.'! is very similar
in form, size, and color to the closely
related yellow mealworm. However,
the adult is a dull, pitch-black beetle,
in contrast to the shiny or polished
dark-brown or black yellow meal-
worm adult (fig. 39B). The dark
mealworm larva so closely resembles
the yellow mealworm larva that it can
best be distinguished from that spe-
cies by its much darker color (fig.
39D).
These two species are often found
together since they have similar
feeding habits. The overwintering
larvae of the dark mealworm begin to
pupate earlier than those of the
yellow mealworms, and, in the Wash-
ington, D.C., area the adult beetles
emerge during April and May.
Lesser Mealworm
The lesser mealworm, Alphitobius
diaperinus (Panzer),11 resembles the
yellow and dark mealworms in form
and color but is considerably smaller.
I t is black or very dark reddish
brown and is three-sixteenths to four-
sixteenths of an inch long (fig. 40A).
The larva is yellowish brown and
closely resembles the young larva of
the yellow mealworm in form and
appearance (fig. 40B). This insect is
cosmopolitan and is commonly found
in flour-mill basements in damp or
musty flour or grain. It prefers grain
and cereal products that are slightly
out of condition and is commonly
associated with poultry feed.
Black Fungus Beetle
The black fungus beetle, Al-
phitobius laevigatus (Fabricius), II is
STORED G RAI N INSE(TS
A _
"- - - "
almo. t id. ntic.1 in .pp n.,. 10 th.
I. ... . mu l...o. m . nd h.. , imil..
h.bin , II p. d . .. dlmp, moldy Sin
.nd cer ul Ind doe. nol
",nOllI d. mli. 10 , in,
Thi. ;n>t m. y b< f.om
11M: Ie<oe. m..l..orm by 11M: cu"'ed
. id u o f t he I ho , .. lI ich
....l'ICly .nd d.n",!) 00
11M: ... rf. ........ bera on l ile I. ... .
mnl.. otm. I h ; d u . re nu rly
UII.I,IIl ond th. ...rf. <;n . re find y
I/ld '!'Indy m, . rC). In
11M: tinned SI.I.... the hlod hollpl
beelk iI mudl 1elhlllldonilltoo the
Inoer mal..OI'1'Il.
Redhomed Grlln Be.tl.
Th edh" med , in h""II e. PI",y"
dn.. " , ../Iro , .. . ( Slu. m). " i
hroad ly "".1 """'I. IhShtly In. Ilion
on..fOllnh of .n inch lona. n i. '<d-
,,",y hlock ""th tin, nd
hi. reidloh. yo:l lo.. .nt....no. (fr" .2).
RfPOnod 10 b< COmmon 00 n""y
fun'; . nd und. m,,'h tm bo..k. it
""" found ;n . bund....,. ill "",nod
com in MllIOII ri in 1'MIl IIId " "' . Iso
found ;n ohdll c ,n IU".o;nd
10" . Thi. " I .. p.rlKul ly
. 1Il11C1ed 10clamp I nd , 1I.;n,
E
D
B
~ ] O O
Figure -tt .c-Black fungus beetle; A. larva; B. pupa; C. adult; D. caudal segmen t of larva: E. lat.
eral plate of pupa. l.an..a i"i about I inch long.
li:\ -5179
Figu re 42- Redh o rned grain beetle adult .
about one-fourt h of an inch long.
DERMESTID BEETLES
37
In general, the dermestids are a
group of beetles that scavenge and
feed on animal matter.. Certain spe-
cies, however, belonging to the
genera Trogoderma, Anthrenus, and
Attagenus, vary their diet by feeding
on farinaceous materials. They are
freq uently present in flour mills, farm
granaries, warehouses, and similar
places where grain) and grain prod-
ucts are stored.
Black Callpet Beetle
The black carpet beetle, Attagenus
megatoma (FabniWius),12 is a small,
oval beetle two-siateenths tal three-
sixteenths of amiDdllong (fig, 43A).
The head and tJlDrax are black, but
the wing coven; are black or dark-
reddish browm _ are covered with
short hairs. Its; tep and antennae are
dark yellow; The larva is very charac-
teristic and can be easily necognized.
It is reddish or golden brawn, is cov-
ered with short, scalelike, appressed
hairs, and: bas a tuft of !bog hairs at
the end of the body (fig, 44).
The Larvae are often found in
abundance in cracks mthe floors of
warehouses where foodstuffs have
accumulated. In the spring, these
larvae transform into adults, which
swarm over bagged material stered
there. Because the larvae of the black
carpet beetle develop slowly, there is
only one generation each year. If con-
ditions are unfavorable, the life cycle
may be prolonged to 2 or 3 years.
The adults, which emerge in the
spring and early summer, live 2 to 4
weeks, and each female lays; about
100eggs. This beetle is cosmopolitan.
Trogoderma Beelll!a
12
The best known member of this
group is Trogoderma inclusum
LeConte,12 which is a common pest
of grain, seed, and other stored prod-
ucts in the Great Plains SUates. The
adult beetle is one-fourteemth to one-
sixth of an inch long. 1"hlc female is
about 1-1/3 times the size of the
male. The beetle is redtilLsii brown to
black with indistinct pater markings
on, the wing covers.
The larva is stout, 31Dd, at rest, the
back is yellowish brown (fig. 45).
However, the areas between the seg-
mmt5, which are visible during move-
mmeJIt., and the underside are very pale
ydlow. The last three segments of the
body are almost covered by tufts of
dense, specialized hairs. The fully
grown larva mag attain a length of
one-fourth of an inch. This insect
larva is difficult to distinguish from
the larvae of rated species.
The adult female beetle lays up to
96 eggs. The life cycle varies from 7
weeks to several years, depending
upon the temperature and the food
supply.
Trogoderma glabrum (Herbst) is
very similar to T. inclusum and is
found in similar situations. The adult
lacks the longitudinal pale markings
on the midportion of the wing covers,
and differences in the eyes and
antennae of the two species can nor-
38 AGRI CULTURE HANDBOOK SO, 500. ~ DEPT, or AGRICULTURE
A
__B
f _.I . - _ _ ... A. ~ .. , i ' _ H. l
_(. _ ..... __, Do . ...... ...... _ ' 0<. _ 01 __
__01c_D , 01 F""" """ Ai. ' "
STOR F. O CRAIN INSf:CTS
1,."" " ,_I. ",. or '''r<' """" I" '"
,.It "r h",.,. 1><,", ,,h"'" 01 .n '","
,>0,
ma lly ... determ,ned "nl y in r'" la bo-
, aw ry (fLg, 4JB), The lar.'ae arc also
"ery ,im 'lat. but T. glahrum la"'aear<
generaII)' "r more reddi,h
brow" lba" ycllowi,b bro",n,
The ''''''olli ed " a rehou," !>celie.
h " KoJnma "''' Iahi le Ih l lo" " ( T
paTahlle " eal). i, " ide, p' ead bUl dif-
fi"olt , beeau"" of irs "an-
able appearance.
Wo rl d", ide, lhe khap' a hottlle,
T"'iI'"If'Tma K,a"arium hen<. i'lhe
m,,,t d"lro"li\'< of thi s gfOUp (fig.
"' . "", 4< I.,,, .,, 1>" ."dffmo ;"..1.,,","
I <t '.
4.1/11. h "a' di ,.",,,cd in 'I ula' .
( '" 101.. in 195.1 a nd i,thoogh'
10 h"H heen p,,,en l in l he Sa n
J"ayuin Va llej' ,i nc< 19,19
ltd "" ;ts di, ,,,,,,)', l ni, in,ect
had ,p, e"d , ,, "'hco p,,,n " in ('. 10
f" rn ,. and i nl 0 "r i, on a . "' ,,'
\-lexi"", lex. " .nd Baja ( 'a lif",n; ".
\l exi"" . i\ Federal quam""", " a,
i" m ked in I-chru. ty h' del" lhe
'p"ad "I thi, pe" 10 other a rea" a"d
an eradication program was started.
By 1961, active infestations were
eliminated, and strict quarantine
measures have kept the beetle from
becoming reestablished in the United
States.
This beetle prefers dried vegetable
matter to animal matter as food but
will attack almost any kind of either
material. Grain damaged by the
khapra beetle has somewhat the same
appearance 'as grain attacked by the
lesser grain borer.
Under favorable conditions, the
khapra beetle -breeds so rapidly that
the larvae often appear in large num-
bers in the surface layers of binned
grain. The larvae crowd into thecrev-
ices of building, bins, and so forth,
and are difficult to reach with
insecticides. Since this beetle has lim-
ited mobility, it spreads principally
through the agency of man.
Other species of Trogoderma in
this country that may be confused
with those mentioned here are T.
grassmani Beal, 1: omatum (Say), T.
simplex Jayne, and 1". stemale Jayne.
.All these species are .sometimes con-
fused with the Anthrenus species,
which are not grain pests. The varied
carpet beetle, A. verbtUCi (Linnaeus),
.however, has been found in mills and
storage facilities (fig. 43Q.
SPIDER BEETLES,13
Several species of beetles
belonging to the fanHly Ptinidae are
occasionally found infesting grain
and cereal products.. They attract
attention by their peculiar, spiderlike
form. These insectsare rather wide-
spread in distribution but are rarely
abundant enough in the United
States to cause serious damage.
Hairy Spider Beetle
The hairy spider beetle Ptinus vi/-
liger (Reitter),'? is a reddish-brown
beetle marked wi th four irregular
white patches. It is about one-seventh
of an inch long (fig. 46). This insect is
a rather common pest in the Prairie
Provinces of Canada and is occa-
sionally destructive in the adjoining
Northern United States. It attacks
I3Co)eoptera, Ptinidae.
stored grain and all types of :p-ound-
cereal products. The adult beetle
appears in warehouses in the .spring
and lays eggs in flour, feed. or other
cereal products. The female lays
about 40 eggs. Under favorable con-
ditions, the development period from
egg to adult is about 3-1/2 months..
The full-grown larvae construct char-
acteristic silken pupal cases, which
are covered with food particles from
the food material in which they
occur.
An allied species, P. raptor Sturm,
is about as common in Canada as the
hairy spider beetle.
Whltemarked Spider
Beetle
The whitemarked spider beetle,
Ptinus fur (Linnaeus), is also found
in the Northern States and is some-
srORED GRAIN I NSEcrS
41
'.
<.. \
\
,.

Figure 4b.- Hail')' spider beetle adult. ahout
one-sevent h of an inch long.
what more abunda nt than the hairy
spider beet le. whi ch it closely resem-
bles in appeara nce and habit s (fig.
47). It feeds on both anima l and plant
matt er and atta cks flour, feed. grain.
a nd miscelia neou s foodstuffs. It is
ra re ly abunda nt enough t o ca use
serious damage.
Brown Spider Beetle
The brown spider beetle. Ptinus
clavipes ( Panzer), closely resembles
the whitemarked spider beetl e in size.
colo r. general appear ance. and
habit s. It mal' be di stingui shed fro m
that beetl e by the absence of white
markings on the wing co ve rs.
Other Spider Beetles
The Aust ralian spider beet le. Ptinus
ocellus Brown. has been reported from
the United Sta tes but is rar ely found
here. It is very similar in general
appearance and habits to the brown
spider beetl e.
The Amer ican s pi der bee t le.
Mezium americanum (Laporte) . is a
small spider beetle of stri ki ng appear-
ance. It ha s a shi ny. subglo bular
body that dis ti nguis hes it from the
precedi ng spider beet les (fig. 48). It is
somewhat of a scavenger and feeds
on dried ani mal prod uct s and plant
matter. It is no t an important pest of
sto red grain or grain prod uct s. but it
is occasionally found in mills, ware-
houses. and dwell ings,
A closely related species. Gibb ium
psvttoides (Czenpi nski), resembl es the
American spider beetle in appearance
and habits and is found in similar sit-
uations. It may be distingui shed fro m
tha t insect by the head and thorax.
which are densely covered with small
/
,I
8' ) 103
Figure spider adul t
female. The elongate-o val male is not so
conspicuousl y marked as t he female.
42 AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 500. U.S. DEPT. OF AGRI CULTURE
B' 30H
Figure 48.-American spider beetle adult.
Photo enla rged.
sca les and scalelikc hairs. Thi s species
reportedly occurs only in the extreme
so u t he r n port i on of t he ni te d
States. whereas M. affine (Boieldieu)
is the common form in the Northern
States and Canada.
MISCELLANEOUS BEETLES
Twobanded Fungus Beetle
The two ba nded fungus beetle. AI-
phitophagus bifasciatus (Say).!' is a
small. handsome. elongate-ova l beetle
s lig ht ly less tba n one-eighth of a o
inch long. It is reddish brown with
two broad bl a ck hands across the
wing C(WeTS (fig. 49). This insect is
distributed over the world and. as a
scavenger. generally feeds on such
materials as fungi and molds in refuse
gr ai n a nd gr ain product s . a nd
decaying vegeta ble matter. It is fre-
quently found a round mills an d
storehous es where waste material is
all owed to accumulate and in wet or
damaged grain in the holds of grain
ships . The larvae have been reared in
mo is t c or nmeal a nd in s poi led
cereals.
Hairy Fungus Beetle
The hairy fungus beetle, Typhaea
.Herc'orea ( Linnaeus), ':' is frequently
found in cornfields. where it is appar-
entl y attracted to the decaying ker-
nels of exposed cars. After corn is
harve st ed a nd s helIed . it is o ften
hea vily infested by this insect. but
there is little feeding on undamaged
grn in, Thi s beetle is cosmopolitan
and is fou nd in all parts of the Uni ted
St ates in dwellings. wareho uses.
stores. fl our mills. granaries. and sim-
ilar places,
It is a small brownish beetle about
one-tenth of an inch long and is cov-
ered with ha irs (fig. 50). It rat he r
closely resembles the drugstore beetle
43
. ...
t ...... .. ,._ . _ _
...., ... _ :00 " ....
"-,
,
.I
1m..
\
,
or "''''"j'''' ' , un and ",her ''1'''"
I."'. I",m, and ,n Ih.....1' . ..dm,
fro m ,nju re d pl.nt> II "<lui,.
nuM<'f<>'" ,n . ..,nhd," ,n , h. Soulb.
.. he.. " > ,m. "'.f , I!<' d""",-, cd
un n d I.<d. Ind h.cord , I n , IN:
doa)''', ....... . l h. ....1' """'k
.. . .0
1>0' '. ,. fOIl"" ,I>
'oe< mi lh I"....h'" III
" f h."l ,..,.., It .. "f,... -eon ,n
" u.m ra.. l"" ..... ....,. of , ia
,\ d o. d ) "bt..J f>tnlt. ( '",.
1">pIuI... II ...,.100..... 1 .... I I _
.. hich .. a. ''' If,ld,,.'fd tr"m ahroad...
""''' and ahundut
,.. thn c,ou "tr). It m,b. ,I> fo....
.0 CO'I> wp t!tf. hut ;.
.. a "n,f"..... -h,n) .
,n .1'''''.'.''''. but " >mallcr
(fiB- n Il' in_ , ,'an al,, ' I>e e. "I}
f, ,,m ,h.
hec,l. b) tbe ' No pe ur it. an, ..,,,.<,
"' '' Hob arC . I. , al. ,n, lcad ur
",,,al . _
Corn Sap Beetle
I he ,'",n ' 01' "..tl. C"'I'''I,hdU>
( }-. hr i . ; u. ), ' rna) h.
l udi l )' r.<"Ini , cd h)' II , ptluliar
" ' nl .",n.. "h'cnk.
" h ", hln roh..nl . ,n, ....' . .. and
It onc-I<n, h 10 of In incl!
1on, l f" . Sll
Thl> ,n>l ""'''''' II) ld. in ' 01-
1__ .. ....., _ ....... _ .'_
_ _ 01 .. _ -'
\.j A(JRICUL-nme IIANOI,U()K so. WO, U,S. m:PT. ()f AOIi ICULT UH. E
I"" ...n all o,cr. II> haM. arc 'or)
"mIL., '0 , 110"" 01 tllc <o,n .ap
.....
Clglf'ene Beell.
The " prc", hce11e. ,., .....
....." ........ ( F.hrici... ll
"001. oul. rcdd,,11 o r
........ obh_ hce11e. .'111 ,he he""
MIll d,,,,,o .1. ",111 10
Ih. 1I,>ol l' . Thi. , he he..
homl"' d . ppuuocc .h,n \lc",'"
I....m Ihc .Id,. a ../1_0 10 I"","
I I ,.n.. 10 ' ''C. hUl i. u..... . I>o' ul
"nc-Icnlh 01 aR inch I II.. ,,,'"'.. .
l"und in all ,cmp... ... ' uhl",p"'al
.. . ,of" ,. 'oh",,,,,, .tld
",h" "",1 p.,>dU<1o, It brcnt. in
'ao.. of 'Ir!. aod oa
he f"und , r. l ", I,ll in
'l<"are on ' "c ... <k. I" , hm,
I"'f',>d.
Tllc "",uh hce1J... 1.. , 2 I" ...... ll.
and. dun", III.. IIOK. c..-ll Innal,
Ial' a' a. IllJ CJ.l!'. Tb,
dc\Ol"pm'"lal I""u>d I.. 'm CJ.l! 1"
.dul . .. .."a bl. hul. und..
......... 1>10 . cd.
t " . " H Co. . .. , -........ "'-
-
to"".. ' 1 " ,.._. _ .. /Iff, ..... ,_ o'F, ..... ' 01o<ooo1 __ , "'N, .... ,"". __, -W...

Drugstore Beetle
I "" !><'rI 1c.\'<'Jr''''''''' '
J'd'f' , ...... l l .in... .. " ' e" "m,la.
,n al'J'C"a.ana I" ,he ' .....'0;1
<>p f<1' e hecllc Iouf ... ,n"' e tl '''''''e
,n 1''''1'''"'',,n 10 .. Od , h and .... d, ..
'i.... ..l} . " ..,cd .,nJ ,.. I he adu"
,n><C1 , 1><"" one-In " h an ,nch
I''''J n od ...' a tl' hnd,ial. un' Io..
IIJh" "" "' n ,.....red .. " h. lone.
ru""""'"cc '-l"'. 11I l he
I. " . '" " uh. ,. ",'n.MIe,. hl} I....
"-" } , han ,ha' "I ,he ,,'
,,, ha...,, htcl l.' l i,. 5J O , It i.
a. Ihe h.... l. h.. m ;, . h.h,t
"' f.... "" r ha,ma"" ," .-" I
l h,. 'n'"'' i. " f<n<' . 1 1.....1<- '
, nal .ll.d, . ,..a' . an." "I .'",,'If
. ....... , . nd .. ,h. , mal . " al, _.nd
" ' q -.,.,,, .n) ' h,,,, ......r t
""" i" It " ...... """'1. Io",nd In
'''''el><''' nd """""C' ......nd ,he
.. ... Id.
f h.. !><'rI1e e.,.,n .1""... an}
d ' } ''' ,.nl< , uh"an lh. ,,,,,,II
.. h". J rtI'" <f,,,,,. I t he q" a nd
, """ IUn.... 'h u, h , u"'.........
1I> h.... lull) " n. ' he} r ura' e ,n
. mall "'-......". I h. onl". hi. " "Ie
""" h< ,",-cd ,n I... , than n""" h,
Calorama Beet les
\ 1<mh<" "' th" f""'" 1i-i
"'''-,, 11 '''.'' h>t "l<fi, ",,,,,,,,,,. a',
(1".<1, .. la" 'If '" Ih< d' Uf " " " and
,if a rell. h<."I. I hI> ;"d udc.
1, />t" N,i" , l ( ;" ,h . ml. >""u n a, ill<
I ....... " .. _ ..
-,.,.,j -.
..................
, . _ '.. ... , , n, .... ' .... '
,.... _.". '" - ....,.'
, .....
............. ........
16 AtJlUCULTURE HANDBo o K :-0, bOO. U. S OEPT. Of AOll lCULTURE
..un " .. o k ",I<, r. n
( hil I, T ' aN" 1(; " .....
.. I. T .......""",,, n ....lU m.,.
nlhlh 0( ,ndl Ion. T. n "'!'" ."
l lis II 1oI" lIIl y "III&IIn, and T
,.......... la, f:<'. I lion< .ro.
81< l.... nd in ...
I , . ,n . nd do no' <au ,,, u
...
Murmldius e.e.elle "
I h. mi nu. < h<<1k , Ifl" ...
",,"u(",.. i. " ' m<l lf"". I,,und ,n
""' N ,'ain '" ..al p",du.", I' ..
dar k-'Ndi,h h"'.. n and i,I,
,ha" "".-. i",..,n'h "I an i""h
SSI. l hi, i""-, , La j', " .. Ip' u,,od
"h,,'h al. 1.'1'"00 in pi;, .. "n
Ih.If oid..
I ..... .. ( __It,,_, __
jIoo.,H,_
t "",, jj .' ,.\I.'m''''"'
,n" M
nl< la" , .. I" "h a,. unu, ..al in
apl""a ran. al . pal. y. lk... , o.al in
,>ul lin. I .. ilh III< h<ad in" " I' 1< ftu m
abo\<L nau..,<d. ""h h, i..1) appen -
d a ' o,,"d , h. mUl in. and
""'" ......pcd >ciA< Oft ,1I<i. tt.<:k
I,""" ,".roO P"P"" ,.. a h<lll;"
..p/I<rical _II, .. ho;!l .. l.,,<n<d
"""" .... in n""0<, tftluir< .
hi, h humod"l .nd. und Iwc ron<!;"
Ii"".. atll rompl<l. 6<>01""........ in
I... than 2 mon,h l.'nde, .001..-
corod"lOn.. ' hOj may tftlui '"",.
l""n 7 ,""n,h< I,,, ""'d"p .
BOOKl-I CE OR PSOCIOS
(i , . ,n .nd g, a, n p,,,du.,. a,.
",m.lim.' Inu nd In h.
.. ,l h m,nu" in_h .......Il ..
lhan Hou, .nd , ..,n . am
pi...,. pa'lieula,ly .U'.WH 10
' k m. I hey at. kllO.. n., p,,,...... or
h,. ,kli.., n",n, In lh.i , , ..<mMa n".
,,>Ii"nd ,n." ,,,,,,a,jo>"al p,...nce
ill bonh, n in"<1olon, '0
....'al d<>o<ly ,d'l <d ' r;" 01 ,b.
Fl\u, Ijpv.rni' ," 1 /oOj ' at. ',ny', ral.
".j'0' ..h,'....,n.l""" .0(,
.... I.,. .. , ,,'
16 AtJlUCULTURE HANDBo o K :-0, bOO. U. S OEPT. Of AOll lCULTURE
..un " .. o k ",I<, r. n
( hil I, T ' aN" 1(; " .....
.. I. T .......""",,, n ....lU m.,.
nlhlh 0( ,ndl Ion. T. n "'!'" ."
l lis II 1oI" lIIl y "III&IIn, and T
,.......... la, f:<'. I lion< .ro.
81< l.... nd in ...
I , . ,n . nd do no' <au ,,, u
...
Murmldius e.e.elle "
I h. mi nu. < h<<1k , Ifl" ...
",,"u(",.. i. " ' m<l lf"". I,,und ,n
""' N ,'ain '" ..al p",du.", I' ..
dar k-'Ndi,h h"'.. n and i,I,
,ha" "".-. i",..,n'h "I an i""h
SSI. l hi, i""-, , La j', " .. Ip' u,,od
"h,,'h al. 1.'1'"00 in pi;, .. "n
Ih.If oid..
I ..... .. ( __It,,_, __
jIoo.,H,_
t "",, jj .' ,.\I.'m''''"'
,n" M
nl< la" , .. I" "h a,. unu, ..al in
apl""a ran. al . pal. y. lk... , o.al in
,>ul lin. I .. ilh III< h<ad in" " I' 1< ftu m
abo\<L nau..,<d. ""h h, i..1) appen -
d a ' o,,"d , h. mUl in. and
""'" ......pcd >ciA< Oft ,1I<i. tt.<:k
I,""" ,".roO P"P"" ,.. a h<lll;"
..p/I<rical _II, .. ho;!l .. l.,,<n<d
"""" .... in n""0<, tftluir< .
hi, h humod"l .nd. und Iwc ron<!;"
Ii"".. atll rompl<l. 6<>01""........ in
I... than 2 mon,h l.'nde, .001..-
corod"lOn.. ' hOj may tftlui '"",.
l""n 7 ,""n,h< I,,, ""'d"p .
BOOKl-I CE OR PSOCIOS
(i , . ,n .nd g, a, n p,,,du.,. a,.
",m.lim.' Inu nd In h.
.. ,l h m,nu" in_h .......Il ..
lhan Hou, .nd , ..,n . am
pi...,. pa'lieula,ly .U'.WH 10
' k m. I hey at. kllO.. n., p,,,...... or
h,. ,kli.., n",n, In lh.i , , ..<mMa n".
,,>Ii"nd ,n." ,,,,,,a,jo>"al p,...nce
ill bonh, n in"<1olon, '0
....'al d<>o<ly ,d'l <d ' r;" 01 ,b.
Fl\u, Ijpv.rni' ," 1 /oOj ' at. ',ny', ral.
".j'0' ..h,'....,n.l""" .0(,
.... I.,. .. , ,,'
47
bodied, louselike insects with fairly
large heads, poorly developed eyes,
and long slender antennae (fig. 56).
These insects are about one twenty-
fifth of an inch long. They feed on a
great variety of organic matter, both
of plant and animal origin, but are
troublesome through their presence
alone, not because of the actual
damage they cause.
Some females are believed to
reproduce without mating, but males
are sometimes found with them. Each
female may lay as many as 100 eggs,
and, in summer, the developmental
period from egg to adult is about 3
weeks. The newly hatched young
resemble the adults in form and gen-
eral appearance but are smaller and
lighter in color. These insects are
widely distributed in North America
and Europe.
A closely related species, the larger
pale booklouse, Trogium pulsatorium
(Linnaeus), known as "the death
watch," is similar in appearance and
habits and is found under the same
circumstances. It may be dis-
tinguished from the common book-
louse by its slightly larger size, dimin-
utive wing covers, and well-developed
eyes. This insect, also, is widely dis-
BN-3109
Figure 56.-Booklouse or psocid adult.
Enlarged.
tributed over North America and
Europe but is not quite so common
or abundant as the preceding species.
SILVERFISH
The silverfish or slicker, Lepisma
saccharina Linneaus.!? is commonly
found in mills, warehouses, and
dwellings. It is a shiny, silver or
pearl-gray insect with three long, tail-
like appendages, which make it easy
IlJThysanura, Lepismatidae.
to recognize. It is cosmopolitan and
feeds on starchy foods of all kinds. It
is particularly found in dark, moist,
warm situations.
A closely related species, the fire-
brat, Thermobia domestica
(Packard), is found in similar situ-
ations and closely resembles the sil-
verfish in appearance and habits (fig.
57). This insect may be differentiated
from the silverfish by its broader
body. It is pearly white and is heavily
mottled along the back, with dusky
scales that give it a banded appear-
ance when some of the scales have
rubbed off. It is cosmopolitan and, in
some areas of the world, is more
abundant than the silverfish. The
developmental period from egg to
adult is II to 12 weeks.
BN-311O
Figure 57.-Firebrat adult, about 2-1/4 times
natural size.
COCKROACHES20
The familiar cockroaches are fre-
quently found in establishments that
con ta in cereal products. They are
particularly abundant in the base-
ments of buildings in dark, moist sit-
uations, and, when lights are sud-
denly turned on, it is not uncommon
to see the floors almost black with
them. The oriental cockroach, Blatta
orientalis Linnaeus, is probably the
commonest species found in flour
mills and food establishments in
2Orthoptera. Blattidac.
North America. It is a large, dark-
brown or black roach, about I inch
long at maturity (fig. 58). The females
are unique because they have short
wing pads but no functional wings
(fig. 58A). The males have fully
developed wings (fig. 58B).
A closely related species, the
American cockroach, Periplaneta
americana (Linnaeus). is also quite
abundant and is the predominant
form in many flour mills in the
Southwestern and Midwestern States.
I t is larger than the oriental cock-
49
BN-3055
Figure 58.-0riental cockroach: A, adult female; B, adult male; C, adult female (side view); D,
half-grown cockroach. Enlarged.
roach and frequently is 1-1/2 inches characteristic, irregularly shaped,
long. This insect is bright sienna reddish-brown double spot in the
brown, except for the brownish- center (fig. 59).
yellow pronotum, which encloses the
50 AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 500. U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
/
""' -3111
figure 59.- American cockroach: 141 . adult (do rsa! view); right, adult (ventral view). Enlarged .
FLOUR OR GRAIN MITES"
The flou r or grain mites arc pal e.
grayi sh white. smooth. wingl ess. soft-
bodied c rea t ures. The)' are micro-
scopic in s iz e and have numerous
long hair on the legs and hack (fig .
60). M i t e s arc not tru e i ns ec t s
because the adults have eight legs and
th e body is indistinctly divided int o
two par ts. The 110ur or grai n mites.
usuall y less t ha n onc-fiftiet h of an
inch lon g. arc much smaller than th e
booklice.
:IAcarina. Aca nd ac.
They are of ten fnund in stored
grai n and occasionally increase in
number s so ra pi dly that the grain
seems to be quite alive with them.
During heavy infesta tions. their cast
skins and dead bodies accumulate
i n to fluffy . lig h t -brown ma ss e s
beneath the sac ks of grain. II t hese
accu mu lations are on a warehouse
floor, they roll up into piles. which
move about with each gust of wind.
No other group of gra in pest s pro-
duces these masses. Wh en present in
large numbers. th e flour o r grain
mites promote swea ting. impart a dis-
51
BN-5180
Figure 60.-Grain mites. Greatly enlarged.
agreeable odor to the grain, and may
cause damage by feeding.
Fortunately, the mites that attack
grain are preyed upon by predaceous
mites, which usually become abun-
dant enough to kill the grain mites in
a comparatively short time. If not,
screening and fanning the grain will
usually reduce grain mite infestations
to a point where no injury occurs.
Acarus siro Linneaus, known as
the flour mite, common forage mite,
or grain mite, is the most injurious
species of mite found in flour, grain,
and cereal products in North
America. I t multiplies very rapidly
under favorable conditions and may
complete its life cycle, from egg to
adult in slightly over 2 weeks.
Species of the genus Tyrophagus
and other related genera, also known
as flour mites or cheese mites, are
common in grain. They are similar in
appearance and habits to A. siro.
PARASITES OF GRAIN PESTS
Swarms of small wasplike insects,
of the size and appearance shown in
figure 61, are sometimes found in
bulk grain. Similar insects may also
be seen on the windows of flour mills
and other establishments where cereal
products are handled. These insects
are not harmful to grain but are
beneficial because they attack and
destroy the insects that infest grain
and grain products.
The small parasite shown resting on
a kernel of wheat in figure 61 is the
adult of Anisopteromalus calandrae
(Howardj.P the most important
parasite of the rice and granary wee-
vils. The female wasp can detect the
presence of the grain-weevil grub
hidden from sight within the grain and
paralyzes it with a few thrusts of the
ovipositor. She then deposits one egg
Hyrncnopt era, Pterornal idac.
BN-3056
Figure 61.-Anisopteromalus calandrae (H.)
adult, a hymenopterous parasite of grain
pests, resting on a wheat kernel.
on the exterior of the grub or in close
proximity to it. The egg hatches, and
the parasite grub feeds on the paralyz-
ed weevil grub and destroys it. The
developmental period from egg to
adult is about 2 weeks. One female
parasite wasp is known to lay as many
as 283 eggs, but the help usually comes
too late to prevent damage to the crop.
A related species, Choetospila elegans
Westwood.P is somewhat less com-
monly found as a parasite of the same
insects.
Figure 62 shows another fairly
common parasite of the grain beetles.
This insect, Cephalonomia tarsalis
(Ashmeadj.P has habits quite similar
to those of the preceding species.
Figure 63 shows the adult of Bracon
hebetor Say,24 attacking flour moth
larvae. This little wasp is one of the
most important parasites of these
Hymenoptera. Rcthylidac.
24Hymenoptera, Braconidae.
BN-3113
Figure 62.-Cephalonomia tarsalis (A.) adult.
Enlarged.
"
B
8'\ -.11 14
Figure 63. Uran in hehetor S. adult female . in three poses: A. feeding on body fluids of
Medit erranean fl our moth lnrvu. with straight ovipositor prot ruding behind: IJ. in posit ion for
punctu ring body of larva prepar ator y to laying an egg: C. with ovipositor well inserted in larva.
j ust before laying an egg.
moths. It first paralyzes the flour
moth caterpillar by stinging it several
times. It then deposits several eggs on
the paralyzed caterpillar. These eggs
hatch into small, white, footless,
grublike larvae that suck the body
juices of the caterpillar. Under favor-
able circumstances, this parasite
develops from egg to adult wasp in
less than 2 weeks.
The species Venturia canescens
(Gravenhost)," is even more impor-
tant as a beneficial parasite of the flour
and meal moths. This slender wasp has
a reddish-brown abdomen, black head
and thorax, and reddish-brown to
yellow legs (fig. 64).
The habits of this parasite are
somewhat different from all the above-
mentioned parasites of grain pests.
The adult wasp deposits eggs inside the
body of the flour moth caterpillar, and
the entire development of the
parasitic larvae, until just before
pupation, takes place within the host.
The host caterpillar is not paralyzed
and continues feeding until the
parasitic larva has become nearly full
grown. The developmental period
from egg to adult is 3 to 4 weeks.
25Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae.
BN-3115
Figure 64.-Venturia canescens adult
Enlarged.
Grain dealers and millers not in-
frequently find a small, threadlike,
white worm, about three-fourths of an
inch long, in accumulations of flour or
grain dust (fig. 65). This worm is the
larvae of a small black fly, Scenopinus
fenestralis (L. )26 known as the win-
dowpane fly because it frequents the
windows of mills and similar es-
tablishments (fig. 66). This worm does
not injure grain or cereal products but
is a predator on other insects found in
mills and warehouses. A closely
related species, Scenopinus
glabrifrons Meigen." is also known as
a windowpane fly.
2flDiptera, Scenopinidae.
55
H\ -Jll t>
Figure 65. - Lan "a of windowpane fly. Scenopinusfenestratis ( 1.. ). about t hree-f ourth s of an inch
long. Lan a preys upon grain beetles a nd mites.
; -<::::-

1t:" ) 117
Figur e (l ft , - Windo wpa ne fl y Sc enopinus
fenestralis ( 1..) , adult .
HOW GRAIN BECOMES INFESTED
Gra in may becom e infested in a
numher of wa ys. I n ma ny g rain-
growing regions. infestatio n starts in
the field before the cro p' a rc har-
vest ed. Th is is. of co urse. particularly
t rue i n the South . whe re the rice
WCC\ 'i1 and other insect s ar e ahunda nt
in the field at ha rvcsu ime. and in the
soft red winter wh eat reg ion of th e
Eastern States. wh ere the Angoumo is
gra in moth IS ofte n ext reme ly
de structive . I n the more nort hern
St at es that exper ience severe winters.
field infesta tion is ncgt igiblc,
In add ition to field infesta tio n.
wh ich may be impo rta nt (depend ing
on the region or th e sea so n). there arc
severa l othe r so urces of infestation of
stored grain tha t arc of co nsi dera ble
import ance.
56 AGRI.CULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 500, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
In all regions, it is customary to
store grain year after year in the same
bins. If these bins are made of wood,
cracks and crevices become filled
with grain dust and broken grain and
afford places of concealment for
many insects. Insects such as the
cadelle burrow into the wooden sides
or floors to pupate and later emerge
in enormous numbers. Grain bins are
not always properly cleaned; hence,
fresh grain stored in them quickly
becomes infested.
Storing bran, shorts, and other
milled feeds in or near the granary is
another cause of infestation, since
these products are invariably infested.
Many bins, too, are located in barns
that normally contain products in
which insects breed.
Temporary storage of grain in
country or crib elevators frequently
adds to the danger of infestation.
Such storage is difficult to keep free
from infestation, and clean grain
often becomes contaminated by
infested grain brought to the same
place.
Grain may also become infested
while moving it in railroad boxcars to
terminal elevators. Many grain-
infesting insects live in the grain dust
and waste grain that accumulate in
cracks of the floors or woodwork and
in the linings of the boxcars.
Storage of clean grain in ware-
houses and elevators that already
contain infested grain also results in
contamination through the move-
ment of insects from the infested
grain to the clean grain.
Before shipment, uninfested grain
should not be placed in sacks pre-
viously used for grain storage because
these old sacks often harbor insects,
as shown in figure 21, unless they
have been sterilized by heat or fumi-
gation. Certain extensive and costly
infestations have been traced directly
to the use of secondhand, infested,
untreated grain sacks.
Grain stored in open or poorly
constructed cribs or bins may become
infested by insects flying in from the
outside.
HOW TO PREVENT OR REDUCE
PRIMARY INFESTATION
Adoption of the combine har-
vester has reduced field infestation of
small grain to a negligible amount.
To prevent infestation after harvest,
it is recommended that producers
take the following steps: (I) Store
only dry grain in weathertight,
rodent-proof bins, preferably made of
steel; (2) clean out all bins before
loading with grain; (3) spray the walls
and floors of wooden bins and
around the door frames of metal
bins; (4) clean up and dispose of
litter, waste grain, and feed accumu-
lations in and around farm buildings;
(5) apply protective powder, or spray,
directly to grain as it is binned, or
fumigate promptly after binning; and
(6) inspect the bins monthly and
fumigate if an infestation is discov-
ered.
I n the North Central States,
exposure to winter weather in most
years kills off infestations in ear corn
stored on the farm: hence, the loss
from insect attack is not significant if
the corn is to be used for feed during
the ensuing season. Following mild
winters. the Angoumois grain moth
may be destructive, so under such
conditions. it is well to shell corn in
May and store it in tight bins. In the
Southern States, field infestation can
be reduced by: ( I) Growing corn vari-
eties with tight shucks that are semi-
resistant to field infestation: (2) dis-
p0 sin g 0 fin fested gra in in fa r01
storages before the corn reaches the
silking stagc: (3) ear Iy harvest ing: (4)
applying a protectant: (5) drying and
shelling: and (6) storing the corn in
tight bins suitable for fumigation.
Information regarding the pre-
vention or reduction of grain
infestation is contained in other pub-
lications of the Department of Agri-
c u l t u r c , copies of which can be
obtained from the Office of Govern-
mental and Public Affairs, U.S.
Department of Agriculture,
Washington, D.C. 20250.
'* u.s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1980 ()-313-822

Stored Grain Insects Identification Guide

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