Red Flour Beetle

Presented by:

Asanthi Hippola

Chandima Herath

Sumuduni Madarasinghe

Sachini Ranasinghe

Introduction

• Kingdom- Animalia

• Phylum- Arthropoda

• Class- Insecta

• Order- Coleoptera

• Family- Tenebrionidae

• Genus- Tribolium

Tribolium castaneum

MorphologyRed flour beetles are:

• shiny reddish-brown in color• flat and elongated • approximately 1/8 of an inch long

Characteristic features:• Antennae

two small antennae consist of only three segments in the club the tip is much longer than the previous segments

• curved thorax • shallow grooves in the forewings • have chewing mouthparts

Life Cycle

Egg

Adult

Larva

Pupa

Complete metamorphosis

Diets and Habitats• Diets

They will eat a wide variety of foods

Generally feed on crackers, cereals, nutmeats, rice , cake

mix, wheat, oats, beans, legume seeds, dried fruits,

chocolate, powdered milk, spices etc.

Prefer to feed on grain products

• Habitats products in cereal mills, food processing plants, grocery

stores, households, and ships.

Damage• Cannot feed on whole undamaged grain

• Often found among dust, fines, and dockage

• Main problem is contaminating the grain

• Large numbers of dead bodies, cast skins, and fecal

pellets and liquids can produce extremely pungent

odors in grain

• The presence of live insects in a grain bin cause

moisture buildup and molds growth

Control• Grain based product must be inspected periodically

• Store in an airtight bag or container

• Keep the food storage areas and machineries

• clean, dry and crumb free

• Spray the cracks and shelf corners with an

insecticide such as Gentrol Aerosol

• Use monitors and traps