Stored Product Pests Might be In Your Pantry
Image (courtesy of NPMA)

Ever see a lone flying moth in your kitchen in winter? See a few holes in that flour bag? Find some crawling "worms" in cornmeal? It is not un-common to open up the ingredient containers and find a surprise ...stored product pests. 

Indian meal moths frequently are found flying haplessly in kitchens and living rooms. The moth is not a good flier and is usually a lone flier. The adult moths do not feed but the larvae, which can penetrate packages, will infest cracked grain such as wheat or cornmeal. They will also feed on nutmeats. The larvae feed in the grain and then crawl from the food source to pupate. After this resting stage, the adults emerge leaving a spun webbing and start the process again. Sometimes the abandoned webbing is found in cracks and crevices of plastic food containers, or even in the wall/ceiling jointure in other rooms of the home.. We can identify these pests and can prescribe a treatment, sometimes using pheromone traps, or attractants to male adult moths. Don't spray any homeowner product in your food storage area, it is not necessary.

Although there is no exact number of traps that you should use, here are some general guidelines: In small areas, we recommend three to four traps per 1000 square feet, but in larger areas such as warehouses and retail stores, place the traps every 25 - 50 feet apart on a grid pattern. This can be increased or decreased based on how intensely you want to monitor for these insects. The recommended height is eye level.

FOR CONTROL: Follow the standard control procedures for Pantry Pests.

FOR CLOTHES MOTHS: Follow this link

Female Abdomen

Female with eggs

Male Abdomen with Claspers

Male Abdomen with claspers tucked beneath

Merchant Grain Beetle

    
"Image(s) Courtesy of Univar USA Inc"

Sawtoothed and Merchant Grain beetles are very similar looking. Both have jagged sawlike protrusions on the sides of the middle section (thorax). Both are typically dark brown. Sawtoothed grain beetles feed on flour and other cracked grains but cannot fly. Merchant grain beetles prefer oily products such as nuts and chocolate but will infest many foods other than whole grains. The best control measures is to thoroughly inspect and find the source ...something that Critter Ridders is trained for.

INTRODUCTION. The merchant grain beetle is very similar to the sawtoothed grain beetle in appearance, life cycle, and habits. For years they were considered 1 species until breeding experiments showed they were 2 different species. This pest is worldwide in distribution and can tolerate the cooler climates.

RECOGNITION. Adults about 1/8" (3 mm) long, with flattened body. Color dark brown. With 6 sawlike teeth on each side of prothorax. Length of temple (region directly behind eyes) less than half the vertical diameter of eye. With well-developed wings, and known to fly.

Mature larva yellowish white. Less than 1/8" (3 mm) long. Elongate, without urogornphi (paired processes projecting from last abdominal segment), relatively smooth. Antennae 3-segmented with 2nd segment longest and 3rd very small. The sawtoothed, foreign, and squarenecked grain beetles share this same description. SIMILAR GROUPS. (1) Sawtoothed grain beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis) with length of temple (region directly behind eye) greater than half the vertical diameter of eye. (2) Other small dark flat beetles lack 6 sawlike teeth on each side of thorax. 

BIOLOGY. The female lays 22-190 white, shiny eggs either singly or in small clusters in crevices in food material over several months. The eggs hatch in a few days. The larvae usually molt 3 times and usually construct a pupal cell or cocoon from food particles held together with sticky oral secretions. The life cycle (egg to egg) typically requires 30-40 days but may require over a year. The optimal developmental conditions are about 86-95 degrees F (30-35 degrees C) and 70+% relative humidity. There may be as many as 6-7 generations per year but the number is very dependent on the temperature. Adults usually live several months. 

HABITS. The merchant grain beetle cannot attack sound kernels. Its flat body form permits access through very small cracks and into imperfectly sealed packages.  Adults can fly and they are attracted to light.

It is not commonly found in grains, but appears to prefer oilseed products, including nuts and cereal products. It most commonly attacks cereals including rolled oats, rice flour, cake mixes, macaroni, and cookies. It has also been found infesting nuts, coconut, and candy bars made with peanuts and puffed rice.

Traps Beetles and Moths.
No Poisons
Ready to use
Guaranteed
Stop throwing away food

Ordering Information:

(case purchase includes display box)

This pheromone-based trapping system utilizes powerful sex-attractant and aggregation pheromones mixed in a natural grain oil. This food attractant is designed to lure and capture a variety of beetles and moths that attack your stored food. Contains pheromone attractant for Red Flour Beetle, Confused Flour Beetle, Indianmeal Moth, Warehouse Beetle, Cigarette Beetle.and it is also attractive to Saw Toothed Grain Beetles.

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NEW PC Floor Trap for Stored-Product Beetles*, IL-1800-10
Kit includes 10 traps and 10 food attractant lures
This new trap out of the UK's Central Science Laboratory is the product of the most advanced government research lab in the United Kingdom. Its sleek and sturdy design and state-of-the-art trapping dome make it the finest beetle trap on the market! It has been shown to capture nearly all species of stored-product beetles including; saw-toothed grain beetles, merchant grain beetles, rice weevil, granary weevil, red & confused flour beetle, cigarette beetle, flat and rusty grain beetle, hairy fungus beetle and many more.

**For even better results order IL-1705-10 below for use in the PC Floor Trap.

(click to enlarge)

$155.00 kit / FREE SHIPPING