Host range: Rice, maize, wheat with excessive brokens, different flours, groundnut particularly with high moisture and mouldy grain.
Symptoms of damage
- Both adults and grubs feed on stored products and are important pests of mills.
- Grubs feed on germ portion and even on dead insects.
- Adults are only scavengers, cause heating in grain and flour in case of heavy infestation.
Identification of the pest
Egg: White eggs are laid loosely in flour, grain or crevices.
Grub: Cigar like, yellowish white with two reddish brown spines at anal segment.
Pupa: Matured larvae pupate in a gelatinous cocoon covered with dust particles.
Adult: Tiny, light to dark reddish brown beetle with filiform antennae. |
