Stored Products Insects

Flour Beetle (Tribolium confusum)	Grain Beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis)	Grain Weevil (Sitophilus granarius)	Mediterranean flour moth (Ephestia kuehniella)

Stored product insects are any insects which infest stored food, whether in the raw material state or processed.

There are a large number of species of stored product insects, most of which are capable of living on a wide variety of foodstuffs, but some can be more specific - for example grain weevils, which live on whole cereals.

Infestations by these insects ranges from being a nuisance to causing a major loss, depending on the type of insect and the damage caused. Both adults and larvae of beetles and mites cause physical damage to foodstuffs, but only the larvae of moth do. However all insects or fragments therefore cause contamination problems.

The majority of stored product insects are tropical in origin, require elevated temperatures and they all thrive warm temperatures which cause acceleration of their life cycle.

Successful Control of stored product pests requires regular service by a professional pest control company. Eradication requires a close understanding of the pest species, its biology, lifestyle and habits.