Confused Flour Beetle (Tribolium confusum)

Confused Flour beetles attack milled grain products such as flour and cereals but also have a very wide food range including grains, spices, grain products, shelled nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, drugs, peas, beans and other similar materials.

Identification:
Adult beetle, red-brown in colour and about 3 - 4 mm in length.

The larvae are a light honey colour and about 6 mm long, they have 3 pairs of legs and will moult 7-8 times.

Biology:
Female lays 400 - 500 eggs in her first year. Eggs are deposited directly in flour, other food material, or attached to the surface of the container. They are white or colourless and covered by a sticky material to which flour can adhere. Eggs hatch in 3 - 5 days at 32 - 35°C. Larvae burrow into kernels of grain but may leave their burrows in search of a more favourable food. There are 5 - 11 larval instars (7 - 8 is usual); the variation a result of environment, food, temperature and humidity. Average development time from egg to adult is 26 days at 30 - 33°C depending on conditions.

Control:
Infestations in domestic or food storage situations can usually be traced back to a cereal source. Since these beetles can infest so many types of grain products, inspect thoroughly. There may be several infested products, discard any food that is infested. Infested areas should be thoroughly vacuumed paying particular attention to cracks and crevices, contents of the vacuum cleaner should be disposed of in an outside bin. Store new food products in sealed glass or plastic containers. Proper ventilation also is necessary to reduce humid environments. After cleaning, treat the infested areas using a residual insecticide labeled for crawling insect to ensure that all adult beetles and larvae have been killed.

Products to control Confused Flour Beetle: