Black flour beetle
Scientific name
Tribolium madens (Charpentier)
Classification
Secondary pest; Grain feeder
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Tenebrionidae
Acronym: TMAd
Description
- Adults are fairly large for flour beetles, 3.9 to 5.1 mm long.
- Eyes are relatively large and oval (the American black flour beetle’s eye is round).
- Larvae are cylindrical and dark brown in colour.
Images
Similar species
- American black flour beetle (Tribolium audax)
- Red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum)
- Confused flour beetle (Tribolium confusum)
Commodities affected
- Flour, meal, seeds, grain and processed cereals
Signs of infestation
- Disagreeable odour in the commodity is an early indication
Damage
- Damage is not distinctive
How to control
Geographic range
- Is predominantly found in Europe
- In Canada, has been found in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
Where found
- Has been reported from infested railcars of loose and bagged flour
- Has also been found in flour mills and warehouses
Life history
- Adults can be long lived, living up to three years.
- Adult females lay up to 1000 eggs loosely among the food source.
- Black flour beetle is moderately adapted to a temperate climate.
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