Tribolium castaneum

Tribolium castaneum

Short pest overview:

It’s a major pest of cereal silos in the agricultural industry, highly resistant to insecticides. This pest consume wheat and other grains, that's why they are adapted to survive in very dry environments. The flour beetles can withstand even higher amounts of radiation than cockroaches.


Geographic Distribution:

This pest is found in Europe, Africa and North America.


Life Cycle:

Adult beetles are active and move about irregularly. They can live for over a year. Eggs laid by females hatch in 5 to 12 days. Larvae are white, tinged with yellow, slender and cylindrical. They develop through 5 to 12 stages (instars) and grow to about 3/16 inch long over as few as 30 days. They have two short appendages on the end of the last abdominal segment. There may be 5 generations per year.