Rusty Grain Beetle

Category: OLI
Minimum Life Cycle: 23 days. 
Distribution: Worldwide. Normally a secondary pest, but also attack damaged whole grains.
Biology:
Eggs - Up to 400 eggs laid in produce, often in splits or cracks in grain.
Larvae - Prefer to feed on or near endosperm, particularly if grain attacked by fungi.
Adults - Also feed and can live for up to six to nine months.

beetle
Figure 14. Rusty grain beetle.

Rusty Grain Beetle (Cryptolestes ferrugineus). The rusty grain beetle is a cosmopolitan pest that is often found in stored grain in the northern United States and Canada. The adults are cold hardy and fly well in warm temperatures. The insect prefers high moisture grain or moist, decaying food. The insects often occur in large numbers when conditions are ideal. The last larval instar is quite mobile and searches for a pupation site (Figure 14).

(Slide and top caption courtesy of ICI Americas, Inc.)