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  • Confused Flour Beetle Beetles

    Confused Flour Beetle
  • Confused Flour Beetle
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Elimination

Start by finding all infested containers and throw them out. It’s a good idea to put any uninfested products in airtight containers.

The second step is to vacuum cracks and crevices in the pantry to remove seeds and concealed insects. Throw the vacuum cleaner bag out because the insects can continue multiplying in the bag.

Finally, if the situation persists, the intervention of our certified technicians remains a safe and effective solution. An intervention implies that the treated surfaces will not have to be washed for about a month in order to allow the product to work effectively.

Before any intervention, all equipment must be removed from the pantry. Subsequently, it is strongly suggested to place sheets of paper on the shelves before replacing the food in order to prevent the containers from coming into contact with treated surfaces.

Actions

  • Put all food in sealed containers
  • Vacuum pantries and under appliances
  • Request assistance from one of our pest management experts

Prevention

  • Store food in sealed containers

Description and development

Confused flour beetles (Tribolium confusum Duv. ) are holometabolous insects in the darkling beetle family (Tenebrionidae ) of the order Coleoptera. They resemble saw-toothed grain beetles except that they have no projection (tooth) on either side of the thorax and are thick and stocky. The adult is a small, reddish-brown insect measuring a little over 3 mm (1/8") long. The larva looks like a small, yellowish worm about 6 mm (1/4") long.
The female lays about 350 eggs and the larvae molt eight times before pupating and finally emerging as adults. The full lifecycle lasts about one month.

Habits

Larvae and adults both cause considerable damage. They also secrete a foul-smelling liquid that gives food a very unpleasant odor. They feed on flour products and are more often found in bakeries than in the home because they mainly attack raw ingredients.

For more information on flour beetles, please read issue 20 and issue 21 of our technical newsletter The Gatekeeper.

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