Description:

7.LESSERGRAINBEETLEoctThe lesser grain borer is a pest of a wide variety of food .Serious pest of most stored grains. This beetle lives and feeds in warehouses and stores, especially feed and health food stores. The origin of the lesser grain Beetle (borer) is uncertain but it now has a cosmopolitan distribution. It is a serious pest of dried stored products throughout the tropics and it is also found in temperate countries. It has most likely spread as a result of the international trade in food products combined with its strong flying ability.

Photo attribution link: CSIRO [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

Appearance:

The lesser grain Beetle is black-brown in color. It is about 2.5 - 3 mm long with club-like antennae. The body has a slender cylindrical form and the head is hidden under the round neck-shield. Viewed from the side the beetle’s mouth parts and eyes are tucked underneath the thorax (chest). The larvae are whitish with a yellow head.

 

Lifecycle:

Adult females lay eggs singly or in groups of up to 30. Adult beetles are strong flyers. Adults live for 2 to 3 months. The eggs are laid on the outside of the grain and a female can lay 300 to 500 eggs. Young larvae (white with brown heads) initially feed outside then bore into the grain. Life cycle is completed in four weeks. Pupation takes place inside the hollow shell of the seed or in the ""flour"" that accumulates with infested grain."

 

Habits:

Lesser grain borer is primarily a pest in stored wheat and corn. Their habit is to remain hidden in grain. Regular sampling and sieving is required for detection. It can infest tobacco, nuts, beans, bird seed, biscuits, cassava, cocoa beans, dried fruit, peanuts, spices, rodenticide baits, and dried meat and fish.

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