Rusty Grain Beetle

Cryptolestes ferrugineus

Appearance

•   Adults: 1.5-2 mm in length.
•   It is a reddish-brown beetle with flat wing covers almost twice as long as wide. Its neck shield is relatively large with long, fine antennae.
•   The slim yellowish-white larvae are freely mobile and grow to 3-4 mm in length.
•   The yellowish-white pupa lies in a cocoon.

Lifecycle

•  Females deposits about 100-400 eggs loosely in the infested goods.
•  The total development period is 5-12 weeks, depending on temperature, nutrition and moisture.
•  The beetles develop either inside or outside of grain kernels.
•  They can withstand relatively low and high temperature.

Habits

•  They mainly infest all types of grain and grain products, also rice, dried fruit, groundnut seeds, herbs and oilseed cake.
•  They are found both as secondary pests and as primary pests in grain as the larvae and the beetle damage the whole kernels.
•  Rapid mass reproduction leads to great heat generation in the grain. Severe damage can be done to seeds and brewing barley, as this pest feeds also on the germs.