Red flour beetle
| red flour beetle | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | T. castaneum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797)
| |
The red flour beetle is a tenebrionid beetle. It is a worldwide stored product pest.
Red flour beetles attack stored grain products (flour, cereals, pasta, beans, nuts etc). They may cause an allergic response but are not known to spread disease and cause no damage to structures or furniture.
The red flour beetle is of Indo-Australian origin and less able to survive outdoors than the closely related species Tribolium confusum.It has, as a consequence, a more southern distribution, though both species are worldwide in heated premises. The adults are long-lived and may live for more than three years.
References
- Granousky TA. 1997. Stored Product Pests. In Handbook of Pest Control, 8th Ed. Hedges SA, Moreland D (editors). Mallis Handbook and Technical Training Company.