(Tribolium castaneum)
Biology:
Belonging to the same family (family Tenebrionidae, black beetles) as the flour beetle, the red-brown flour beetle is light red-brown in color and reaches a body length of 3 to 4 mm. Rice flour beetle females lay their eggs loosely on the infested material. The slender, very agile larvae are 6 to 8 mm long and are whitish to yellow-brown in color. The animals love warmth and are not very resistant to cold.
0 °C is fatal for all stages during longer stays.
In addition to the red flour beetle, the American rice mealybug(Tribolium confusum), which is very similar in appearance, lifestyle and damage pattern, is also frequently found. Both species are capable of flight, but the red flour beetle is much more active in flight.
Damage:
Rice flour beetles feed on a wide range of plant products such as flour, flour products, pasta, nuts, dried fruit, copra, etc. Both larvae and beetles are harmful due to their feeding activity. Infested flour takes on a very unpleasant odor due to the quinones released by the rice flour beetles, which are said to have a carcinogenic effect, turns pink and loses its baking properties.
The rice flour beetle is a common pest in mills and industrial bakeries.
