Red flour beetle

Red flour beetle

• 1.
  Red flour beetle EHTISHAMALI HUSSAIN BAGF15E258 University College Of Agriculture, University of Sargodha
• 2.
  Taxonomy Red Flour Beetle Technical Name : Tribolium castaneum  Family : Tenebrionidae  Order : Coleoptera
• 3.
  Ocurrance o Insect ofwarmer climates. o Found in cereal mills o Food processing plants, grocery stores, domestic households. o Optimal temperature required is 35
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  Identification  Adult • Theadult red flower beetle is approximately 3-4 mm long and are flat body • Chewing mouth parts
• 5.
   EGGS • Eggsare approximately 0.5 mm long, cylindrical and white or colourless. • Up to 450 eggs are laid singly at a rate of 2-10 per day, depending on temperature.
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   Larvae • Thelarvae are yellowish- • white,slender, and cylindrical and covered with fine hair. • The head is pale-brown and the last segment of the abdomen has two upturned dark, pointed structures.
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   Pupae • Thepupa does not have a cocoon and is yellowish- white, becoming brown later.
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  Life Cycle • Femaleslay between 300-400 eggs in their 5-8 month adult lifespan. • Under optimum conditions of 35°C and 60- 80% relative humidity, • The development times for each stage are approximately 3 days for eg.gs, 16 days for larvae and 5 days for pupae
• 9.
  Life Cycle 8 daysAdul t PupaEgg Larva 30 days 8 days
• 10.
   Damage o Bothadult and larvae cause damage to flour. o Damage is greatest during the hot and monsoon season. o The red flour beetle attacks stored grain and other food products including flour, cereals, pasta, biscuits, beans, and nuts, causing loss and damage.
• 11.
  Control Cultural control : oKeep storage units dry. o Clean old containers before filling them with fresh food. o Do not mix old and new lots of foodstuffs. o Exposure of the grain to sun light o Coat the seed with small quantities of vegetable oil or mix neem leaves in the stored grain
• 12.
   Chemical Control: o Fumigation with aluminum phosphide protects the seed without affecting the viability