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Pests of stored products are varied and numerous, therefore discussion in this segment will be confined to only the major pests found in mills, warehouses, and processing plants. Stored product insects exist under very specific conditions. Usually they are found living in goods such as dried fruits, spices, flour, bran, peas, dried vegetables, dried flowers, grain, milled cereal products, dog food, nuts, candy, macaroni and spaghetti, cheese, and other similar items.

Stored product pests contaminate much more food than they eat. In doing so, the food they eliminate from human consumption every year can be measured in tons. They damage over 10 percent of the world’s yearly grain production. In mills and warehouses, it is essential to inspect regularly for the presence of these insects. The first consideration in preventing stored product pest infestation is to remove all grain, cereal dust, and other debris in which insects can breed (i.e., proper sanitation). Product rotation is also important. Finished products kept too long in storage can be a prime source of infestation. Infested products should be removed from the premises immediately to prevent the infestation from spreading to unaffected goods.
 Stored product insects can be divided into four categories according to their feeding habits:

Internal feeders - insect larvae feed entirely within the kernels of whole grain and may remain undetected until adults emerge from the kernels. Internal feeders include Angoumois grain moths, lesser grain borers, granary weevils, and rice weevils among others.

External feeders - feed on the outside of the grain, and may also chew through the outer coat and eat the inside. Examples of external feeders: Indian meal moth, drugstore beetle, flat grain beetle, cadelle, trogoderma (aka cabinet) beetle, and cigarette or tobacco beetle.

Scavenger - feed on grain only after the seed coat has been broken, either mechanically or by another insect. Examples: confused flour beetle, red flour beetle, Mediterranean flour moth, and sawtoothed grain beetle.

Secondary pests - feed only on materials that are deteriorating, damp, and have some mold growth present. Some feed on the mold rather than the food product. Examples: yellow mealworm, dark mealworm, foreign grain beetle, some grain mites and psocids.

Go to Controlling Stored Products Pests


Internal Feeders

Angoumois Grain Moth
Sitotroga cerealella
Order Lepidoptera
Family Gelechiidae

In most cases, the Angoumois grain moth attacks only whole kernels of corn, wheat, and other grains and seeds. It is sometimes found in homes, emerging from decorative ears of corn or decorative boxes containing seed. Birdseed and cereal baits for rodents are also subject to infestation.
Angoumois eggs are laid on or near grain. Upon hatching the larvae bore into the grain kernels and feed on the inside. When mature, the larva eats its way to the outer portion of the kernel, leaving only a thin layer of the outer seed coat intact. Pupation takes place just under the seed coat. When the adult emerges from the grain, it pushes aside the thin layer of seed coat, leaving a small trapdoor covering its exit point from the kernel. The adult is small, yellowish-white, with pale front wings. The hind wings are pointed and fringed.

Granary Weevil
Sitophilus granarius
Order Coleoptera
Family Curculionidae

The granary weevil closely resembles the rice weevil, although it is easily distinguished by the lack of markings on its back, its lack of functional wings, and the oval punctures on its pronotum. Because the granary weevil lacks functional wings, it is almost entirely dependent on humans for its distribution. It feeds only on stored grain, and is more prevalent in northern states than southern states, but is found throughout the country. Both adults and larvae feed on whole grain, such as oats, wheat rye, and barley that has not been milled. Occasionally they will infest beans, and nuts, as do rice weevils. Adults are resistant to cold weather and may hibernate through the winter. Like the rice weevil, the female granary weevil drills a hole in the whole grain, inserts a single egg in it, then seals the whole with a gelatinous material.

Lesser Grain Borer
Rhyzopertha dominica
Order Coleoptera
Family Bostrichidae

The insect is dark brown, cylindrically shaped, and about 1/8 inch long, and its head is nearly hidden by the thorax when viewed from above. The larva is grub-like, thick-bodied and cylindrical. Lesser grain borer eggs are laid either singly or in clusters in the grain mass, and larvae may enter the kernels and develop within, or they may feed externally in the flour like dust that accumulates from the feeding of the adults and their fellow larvae. Pupae may be found either in the hollowed-out grain or outside in the grain dust. Both the larvae and adults may bore into articles such as books and wood. The life cycle from egg to adult averages about 58 days.

Rice Weevil
Sitophilus oryzae
Order Coleoptera
Family Curculionidae

Also known as the black weevil, adults are reddish brown and about 1/8 inch long. There are four light red or yellow spots on the wing covers, and the punctures on the pronotum are round. This insect is widely distributed but most common in the southern states. Able to fly, it frequently infests grain both in the fields and in storage. The rice weevil is probably the most destructive pest of stored grain. The larvae are legless, short, stout, and whitish with a tan head. When viewed from the side, the body appears to be more or less straight in outline on the underside and semicircular on the backside. Both adults and larvae feed on a wide variety of grains. The female bores a hole in a grain kernel, deposits a single egg, and then seals the hole with a gelatinous fluid. The larval and pupal stages are spent inside the grain, with the adult emerging through an irregular exit hole on emergence from the pupal skin. These exit holes are usually the first sign of grain damage, and by this time serious damage may have occurred to the entire lot of grain.


External Feeders

Cadelle
Tenebroides mauritanicus
Order Coleoptera
Family Ostomatidae

The cadelle, also known as the bread beetle, can be found in rice and flour mills, in grain stored on farms, and in country elevators. It is commonly found in such packaged goods as ground cereals, corn, oats, nuts, spices, fruits, and whole grains. Both larvae and adults gnaw through sacks and even through wooden boards, thus leaving openings large enough for other insects to enter. Adults are shiny black and about 1/3 inch long. The pronotum is separated from the wing bases by a strong constriction, which is useful in identification. The cadelle larva is strikingly marked and is one of the most easily identifiable of the stored product pest larvae. When full grown it is 5/8 inch long and is dirty white in color. It has a dark brown head, and the mouth opening is directed forward. The prothorax has a dark brown hardened plate that covers most of the top surface of the segment. The second and third segments of the thorax have a pair of distinct brown spots on the top surface of each. The last segment of the abdomen has a dark brown plate on the top, from which two distinct projections arise. Cadelle larvae feed on almost all grains as well as on flour, meal, bread, dried fruits, and similar foods. Both adults and larvae may be active in the winter, but they hibernate when the temperature dips too low.

Prior to its discovery in California in 1953, the khapra beetle had not been known to occur in the U.S. Subsequent inspections of grain storage facilities in the Southwest revealed numerous infestations and the area was placed under federal quarantine. Two members of the genus Trogoderma are well-known pests in the United States: the cabinet beetle, and the larger cabinet beetle. Similar in appearance, these two beetles have well-defined areas of light brown markings on their very dark elytra. A distinctly indented notch on the inner margin of the eye of the larger cabinet beetle serves as a means of separating to the two species.  In contrast to the two cabinet beetles, the khapra beetle does not have well-marked areas of light coloration on the elytra. Control of trogoderma may require fumigation, which should be performed only by licensed fumigators.

Indian Meal Moth
Plodia interpunctella
Order Lepidoptera
Family Pyralidae

Indian meal moth adults have a wingspread of about ¾ inch. The front wings are tan on the front third and reddish brown with a coppery luster on the back two-thirds. The mature larva is about ½ inch long and a dirty white color with a greenish or pinkish tint. The larva feeds on various grains and grain-based products, seeds, powdered milk, dog food, crackers, candy, nuts, chocolate, dried fruits, and virtually all other dried foodstuffs around the home. Larvae, when ready to pupate, leave their food supply and wander about in search of a suitable place to spin their white silken cocoons and pupate. During this period, they are frequently noticed by the homeowner and mistaken for clothes moth larvae. The Indian meal moth is found in most any stored food product, feeds in or near a tunnel-like case with frass incorporated into it, and leaves extensive webbing matted over the surface of food products on which it feeds. Adults too, are often mistaken for clothes moths, but the Indian meal moth’s distinctive wing markings separate it from clothes moths. The adults live less than two weeks, are non-feeding, and mostly fly at night. They rest on cabinet shelves, cereal boxes, and kitchen ceilings. If disturbed, they fly in a weak, zigzag pattern.

Scavengers


Confused Flour Beetle
Tribolium confusum
Order Coleoptera
Family Tenebrionidae

The confused flour beetle is a pest primarily in the northern states, but occur throughout the country through product transit. The adult is reddish brown and about 1/8 inch long. It is often mistaken for the red flour beetle, but the antenna of the confused flour beetle is gradually enlarged to form a four-segmented club, whereas the red flour beetle antenna enlarges abruptly to form a three-segmented club. The confused flour beetle’s small size enables it to infiltrate may sealed containers. It feeds on a wide variety of foodstuffs and is a particularly important pest in flour. It is also commonly found in cereal products, peas, beans, dried fruits, spices, and other similar materials.
 Confused flour beetle adults do not fly, and may live as long as three years. Each female may lay as may as 300 to 400 eggs in her lifetime. Larva is cylindrical and about 1/8 to 1/4 inch long. It is yellowish white in color except for the darker mandibles and the pair of projections that arise from the last abdominal section.

Red Flour Beetle
Tribolium castaneum
Order Coleoptera
Family Tenebrionidae

The red flour beetle is primarily a pest in the southern United States, but occurs elsewhere through product transit. It is very similar in appearance and habits to the confused flour beetle. Adults can fly, which probably accounts for the much more frequent appearance of this beetle in farm-stored grain. The red flour beetle, confused flour beetle, saw-toothed grain beetle, and Indian meal moth are the most important pests of stored foods in homes and grocery stores.

Flat Grain Beetle
Cryptolestes pusillus
Order Coleoptera
Family Cucujidae

The flat grain beetle is the smallest of the common grain-infesting insects. Adults are flattened, oblong, reddish brown, and about 1/16 inch long. The antennae are slender and are about two-thirds as long as the body. The larva is about 3 millimeters long, and the abdominal segments are about one and a half times as wide as the thorax. The last abdominal segment bears a pair distinctly sclerotized, hook like structures joined at the base. These processes and the head are brown in color, in contrast to the remainder of the body, which is nearly white.

Sawtoothed Grain Beetle
Oryzaephilus surinamensis
Order Coleoptera
Family Cucujidae

The sawtoothed grain beetle is found in such foods as breakfast cereals, flour, dried fruits, macaroni, dried meats, chocolate, and other similar materials. It is small enough that it can easily penetrate tiny cracks and crevices to get into packaged foods. When lest undisturbed, a large population with rapidly develop.
 The adult is a small brownish beetle about 1/8 inch long, and is easily identified by the six sawlike projections on each side of the thorax. It may live and breed for as long as three years, and does not fly. The female lays 50 to 300 white, shiny eggs. They are laid either singly or in masses in crevices in the food supply, although they are also laid freely in such items as flour.
 The larva is less than 1/8 inch long and is long and narrow in form. The head is slightly flattened, and the mouth points straight ahead instead of downward.

Mediterranean Flour Moth
Anagasta kuehniella
Order Lepidoptera
Family Pyralidae

The Mediterranean flour moth is a common pest in the home and in food processing plants. It infests such items as flour, nuts, chocolate, beans, and dried fruits. Adults have a wingspan of about one inch. The front wings are pale gray with wavy black lines running across them. The hind wings are dirty white. It can be distinguished from the Angoumois grain moth by the hind wings, which are rounded at the tips rather than pointed, as in the Angoumois. The Mediterranean flour moth is most recognized by its characteristic pose when resting. The front of the body is raised, giving the wings a distinct downward slope with the tip of the abdomen protruding up between them.
 Females lay eggs in accumulations of flour or other milled products. The larvae hatch in a few days, and when mature, they measure about ½ inch long. They are white to pink, with a few small black spots on each body segment, from which the body hairs arise. The larvae spin silken threads as they move about. These threads fasten particles together in a dense mat that is very characteristic of this insect. Larvae are often found away from the infested product, seeking a crack or crevice in which to pupate.

Secondary Pests

Yellow Mealworm
Tenebrio molitor
Order Coleoptera
Family Tenebrionidae

Yellow mealworm adults are shiny dark brown or black, about ½ inch long, and most common in the northern states. Larvae are active and found in all sorts of unusual places in addition to breakfast cereals, macaroni, and feed mills. This larva is the “golden grub” sold as fish bait in many parts of the country. When full grown, it is a little over an inch long. The body is elongate, cylindrical, and has a harder body wall than the larvae of other stored product pests. The body is shiny yellow or light brown with only a few scattered setae. Mealworm adults and larvae are usually found in dark, damp places in spoiled grain products. In residences, they are commonly found in basements or as soil grade level. The adults are easily confused with ground beetles, but examination of the hind leg reveals five tarsal segments on ground beetles and only four on mealworms. Also, mealworm adults move quite slowly while ground beetles are quick. Adult mealworms live only 2 to 3 months. Each female lays about 275 eggs, which hatch into larvae that grow to about 1 ¼ inch in length. The insect may remain in the larval stage for up to 600 days, depending on the temperature.

Dark Mealworm
Tenebrio obscurus
Order Coleoptera
Family Tenebrionidae

The dark mealworm is similar in habits and appearance to the yellow mealworm. Adult dark mealworms are the same size as yellow mealworms, but dark mealworms are dull black. Dark mealworm larvae are dark brown, as compared to the shiny yellow to light brown yellow mealworm. It is found throughout the United States.


Controlling Stored Product Pests

Pest Management in food handling facilities should include the following steps:

Inspection of exterior grounds and all areas of the establishment (interior and exterior). Monitoring tools, such as various kinds of pheromone traps traps, are useful in determining the status of infestations.

Identification of the pests that are present and conditions that are conducive to future infestations.

Application of stored product pest management techniques:
1. Good housekeeping (including sanitation and storage practices)
2. Exclusion
3. Other mechanical measures, including pheromone traps, air curtains, etc.
4. Insecticidal measures, which may include fogging or aerosol treatments.

Suggested fogging products: Pyrocide 100, Pyrocide 300, Riptide, Shockwave.

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