MF2271 Common Stored-Food Insect Pests - K-State Research and ...

Home and Horticultural
This publication has been prepared to help people recognize
insect pests they are apt to find feeding on stored food products
in the home. Specimens may be taken to the local K-State Research
and Extension office for identification so proper control
measures can be carried out.
Indian Meal Moth
Damage is done by the
worms, which attack a wide
range of products, including
cereal and cereal products, dried
fruits, dehydrated vegetables,
nuts, chocolate, candies and
other confections. When infestations
are heavy, mature worms
can be found in the house far
from the original food source
because they migrate quite a
distance to pupate.
The Indian meal moth is rather handsome, with nearly a
3 ⁄4-inch wing expanse. It is easily distinguished from other pantry
pests by the peculiar marking of its forewings – reddish-brown
with a coppery luster on the outer two-thirds and whitish gray
on the inner or body portion. This is the tiny moth frequently
seen flying around lights in the house.
The worm of the Indian meal moth spins a web as it becomes
full grown and leaves behind a silken thread wherever it crawls.
When full grown, the worm is about 1 ⁄2-inch long and dirty
white, varying sometimes to greenish or pinkish.
Sawtoothed Grain Beetle
The sawtoothed grain beetle is a slender, flat,
brown beetle about 1 ⁄10-inch long. It is named for
the peculiar structure of the prothorax (section
between head and wing covers), which bears six
saw-like tooth projections on each side. In larval
and adult stages, it attacks all food of vegetable
origin, especially grain and grain products, such
as flours, meals, breakfast foods, stock and poultry
feeds, nutmeats, candies, dried milk and dried fruits.
Common
Stored-Food
Insect Pests
Confused and Red Flour Beetle
The confused and red flour beetle is a shiny, reddish-brown
beetle about 1 ⁄7-inch long, flattened and oval. The head and
upper parts of the prothorax are densely covered with minute
punctures. The wing covers are ridged lengthwise and sparsely
punctured between the ridges. This beetle generally feeds on
cereals and cereal products, but may infest other foodstuffs.
Eggs, which are covered with a sticky secretion, become
covered with flour or meal and readily adhere to the sides of
sacks, boxes and other containers. They hatch into small worm-
Confused flour beetle Red flour beetle
like larvae, slender, cylindrical and wiry in appearance. When
fully grown, the larva is 1 ⁄6-inch long and white, tinged with
yellow. At this stage, it transforms to a small naked pupa. The
pupa gradually changes from white to yellow and then brown
and shortly afterward transforms to a beetle.
Cigarette Beetle
The cigarette beetle is about 1 ⁄10-inch long, robust, reddishbrown
and clothed with short, fine hair. When viewed from the
side, the beetle appears humped. It is known as the cigarette
beetle from its feeding on cured tobacco, cigarettes and cigars.
It also feeds on dried herbs, spices, cereals and cereal products,
dried fruits, seeds, dried fish and meats, nuts, hair, wool and
other animal products.
The small, yellowish-white
grub is covered
with long, silky,
yellowish-brown hairs
and is about 1 ⁄6-inch long
when fully grown.
Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service

The pupae are within a closed cell composed of small particles
of the food substance cemented together with a secretion
of the larvae.
Drugstore Beetle
The drugstore beetle is
about 1 ⁄10-inch long, cylindrical
and uniformly light
brown. Its body is covered
with a fine, silky down, and
it has fairly long antennae
or feelers. This insect is
known as the drugstore
beetle because of its habit
of feeding on almost all drugs found in pharmacies. It is a very
general feeder, attacking a great variety of stored foods, seeds,
pet foods, spices and pastry mixes, and has been said to “eat
anything except cast iron.”
Cabinet Beetles
Cabinet beetles are small beetles (sometimes referred to
as carpet beetles) that prefer stored foods. The larval stage of
these beetles does most of the damage. Full-grown larvae are
about 3 ⁄8-inch long, with a tapered body. Dark clumps of long
hairs are common on the tapered end.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are easily identified by their brownish, flattened
body and long antennae. They prefer to move about in
darkness and thus are not often seen in the daytime. Their flat
body allows them to hide in very narrow places such as under
baseboards and kitchen appliances. Depending on the species,
cockroaches can occur in any part or the house as long as food
and water is available.
Fruit Flies
As the name implies, fruit flies are pests of fruits and some
vegetables and can develop rapidly in warm weather. Fruit that
is beginning to decay will attract them, and the best control is
to get rid of the food source. The tiny flies are about 1 ⁄8-inch
long and have red eyes. The larvae is a tiny maggot.
George E. Lippert
Crop Protection Specialist, Southeast
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George E. Lippert, Common Stored-Food Insect Pests, Kansas State University, January 1998.
Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
MF-2271 January 1998
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