Khapra Beetle (Trogoderma granarium)

The Khapra beetle is often found in grain and food stores, in malt houses, seed processing plants, fodder production plants, dried milk factories, stores of packing materials and kitchen pantries. The khapra beetle is considered to be the world's most destructive pest of stored grain and grain products. If left uncontrolled, this beetle can cover the surface of stored grain making it appear alive with crawling larvae. It is also considered to be a dirty feeder as it breaks or powders more grain than it consumes.

Identification:
The male is about 2 mm in length and the female is slightly larger, up to 3 mm. Oval shaped, dark brown in colour with yellowbrown to red-brown markings on the wing covers. Larvae up to 5 mm in length, yellow to golden brown in colour and are covered with thick, redbrown hairs with two tufts at the end of the abdomen.

Biology:
The female lays up to 125 eggs loosely in the infested material. Eggs hatch in five to seven days. Larval development may occur in four weeks, but under cooler temperatures, overcrowding, poor food quality, or declining conditions, the larvae may enter a dormancy phase known as diapause. They can remain in this state for up to three years. The larvae undergo 4 - 7 moults, resulting in the shedding of numerous cast skins. Adults are short-lived, completing their adult life in one to two weeks.

Control:
Infestations in domestic or food storage situations can usually be traced back to a cereal source. Since these beetles can infest so many types of grain products, inspect thoroughly. There may be several infested products, discard any food that is infested. Infested areas should be thoroughly vacuumed paying particular attention to cracks and crevices, contents of the vacuum cleaner should be disposed of in an outside bin. Store new food products in sealed glass or plastic containers. Proper ventilation also is necessary to reduce humid environments. After cleaning, treat the infested areas using a residual insecticide labeled for crawling insect to ensure that all adult beetles and larvae have been killed.

Products to control Khapra Beetle: