American black flour beetle

Classification

Secondary pest; Grain feeder
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Tenebrionidae
Acronym: TAU

Description

• Adults are 2.8 to 4.5 mm long.
• Adults are most similar in appearance to Tribolium madens (black flour beetle).
• Eyes are relatively round (the black flour beetle’s eye is oval).
• Larvae are cylindrical and dark brown in colour.

Similar species

• Black flour beetle (Tribolium madens)
• Red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum)
• Confused flour beetle (Tribolium confusum)

Commodities affected

• Cereal grains, flour, meal, seeds and cereal products

Signs of infestation

• Disagreeable odour in the commodity is an early indication

Damage

• Damage is not distinctive

How to control

• Control grain insect pests

Geographic range

• Throughout Canada

Where found

• Is occasionally found in empty granaries in western Canada
• Does not normally infest stored grain
• The American black flour beetle is found more often than the European black flour beetle.

Life history

• Adults live on average 2 to 3 months.
• Adult females lay up to 1000 eggs loosely among the food source.