A small but very harmful insect is the flour beetle, a tiny beetle that prefers to settle in loose food products, rendering them unusable. We offer you to get acquainted with the features of the appearance and lifestyle of this insect, find out ways to get rid of it.
Appearance
Meal beetle is a representative of the dark beetle family, the size of most bugs is no more than 3-5 mm (however, there is also a large beetle, it will be described separately). The distinguishing features of insects are:
- Elongated body.
- Color - dark brown, with a reddish tinge.
- Small antennae.
This pest is found in almost all regions of the country, has a rapid reproduction rate, one female can lay about a thousand eggs in her short life.
Varieties
These nasty bugs thatbecome a real problem once in a human dwelling, can be represented by various species, information about which is displayed in the form of a table.
| Name |
Big flour beetle |
Small | Black |
| Short description of adults | Flat body up to 2 cm long, black or brown, reddish lower part | Average body length - 3.5 mm, despite the presence of wings, is not capable of flight. Has special glands that repel enemies with an unpleasant odor | The body is black, shiny, up to 5.5 mm long, the color of the legs and abdomen is slightly lighter |
| A brief description of the larva | Cylindrical shape, length up to 2.5 cm, color - dirty yellow. There are small legs with claws, the organs of vision are not formed | Body up to 6 mm long, with short hairs. Flat head | Flat body up to 1.3 mm long covered with hairs. Color light brown |
| Chrysalis appearance | White with a couple of small spikes on the back ring | Light yellow, shiny, with tiny growths in the back of the abdomen | Dirty-yellow hue, also has growths-tubercles |
The larvae of all these beetles are called mealworms because they are most often found in flour or cereals, leading them toworthless.
Where pests live
Meal beetle is one of the common insects, so it is found almost everywhere where there is food:
- Grain storage.
- Pasta factories.
- Barns.
- Elevators.
- Kitchens of apartments.
They are found in pantries, on balconies - in those places where it is customary to store food. They love stale products, so they most often settle where a person rarely looks.
Inflicted harm
The flour beetle, the photo of which is presented above, is a very harmful creature that can ruin all stocks of cereals and pasta. In addition, they often eat dried fruits: raisins, dried apricots, prunes, forcing the housewives to throw away whole bags of food.
When you find a larva or a beetle, you should ruthlessly get rid of the groceries, because it already contains insect excrement, parts of their chitinous cover, and the product is saturated with an unpleasant odor.
Methods of struggle
A flour bug in an apartment can do a lot of trouble. How to get rid of this tiny pest? There are several ways.
The simplest is to quickly throw away all infected cereals, flour and pasta, check if there are any larvae or adults left in the boxes. After that, rinse all the shelves and walls with a solution of vinegar (take 2 tablespoons of vinegar 9% for 1 liter of water). Window sills, door frames and areas near ventilation are also recommended.process with such an infusion so that the flour beetle does not get over from the neighbors.
Jars containing contaminated cereals must be boiled.
If the number of pests is already very high, you should use more radical means: pour in the cabinets of the kitchen set, on the shelves of the pantry or other places where there is a flour bait, bait from equal amounts of borax, powdered sugar and flour. If necessary, the procedure is repeated after 10 days.
Chemicals
Let's consider how to get rid of the flour beetle with the help of the achievements of the modern chemical industry. It is possible to use the following simple and inexpensive means:
- "Dichlorvos". Before work, a respirator is put on, after which the bottle with the agent should be shaken, and then sprayed onto those places where the bug was encountered, as well as cracks and baseboards, from a distance of about 30 cm, spraying simply “into the air” will not give an effect.
- "Riapan". This poison has low toxicity and is safe for humans and pets. The tool is completely ready for use, so you should apply it in a thin layer in those places where the flour worm was found: boxes, shelves, as well as at baseboards and crevices. After 2-3 weeks, the powder should be removed, if necessary, repeat the treatment. Consumption rate - 10 g of powder per 1 m32.
These drugs can get rid of the pest, you can buy them in a specialized store.
Prophylacticevents
We reviewed measures to combat the small flour beetle. However, any problem is easier to prevent than to solve. Therefore, 2-3 peeled cloves of garlic should be placed in each bag of grain or cereal - the beetles cannot stand their smell. For storage of such products, jars with tight-fitting lids should be used. On the shelves you can lay out bay leaves or sachets of lavender, insects do not like these fragrances either.
Sometimes larvae or adult beetles can be brought home along with acquired grain or cereals that were stored in violation of technology. In this case, if the seller does not inspire much confidence, you should place the purchase in the freezer for 4 hours, the larvae, if they were there, will die.
Methods for cleaning cereals
Sometimes there are situations when it is not possible to throw away flour-infected cereals, for example, if the family is very poor or lives in a disaster zone and cannot buy new buckwheat or rice. In this difficult situation, you can use this method:
- Try to sort through manually, or at least extract those insects that are visible to the naked eye.
- Pour the cereal into a cotton bag and place for a day in the "Freeze" compartment. Low temperature (below 0 °С) is fatal for larvae and adults.
- Exposure to high temperatures will also help get rid of the flour, you should pour the cereal on a baking sheet and place in the oven preheated to the maximum for 60 minutes.
However, similaractivities are not able to save the flour, so, unfortunately, it still has to be thrown away.
Interesting facts
We invite you to get acquainted with a selection of interesting facts about flour beetle:
- This housewife pest is loved by anglers because its larvae are excellent bait. Some even specifically breed pests for themselves and for sale.
- Poultry, turtles and geckos also enjoy eating mealworms.
- Pests can eat not only grains and pasta, but also meat. So, for some time they are able to turn the carcass of a bird into a skeleton.
- The large flour beetle has been declared a quarantine object in Cuba.
- A pest larva, exposed to direct sunlight, dies after 15 minutes.
- In the absence of food, pests may begin to eat each other.
This is the mealworm, a pest that has spread across almost the entire globe, causing serious damage to food stocks. The fight against it can become long and difficult, so it is best to take prevention seriously and prevent it from occurring.
