Common Name: Beetle – Black flour beetle / False Black flour beetle
Latin Name: Tribolium audax
Common Family Name: Darkling Ground Beetles
Latin Family Name: Tenebrionidae

Hydrex Treatment for Black Flour Beetle

Characteristics Important in Control:Control of most stored food pest beetles relies on a combination of proper storage of products in cool, dry conditions and if possible in pest-proof containers, sanitation measures to remove or prevent spilled materials and dust accumulations, and monitoring with pheromone traps to determine when adult insect activity may begin in an account or to pinpoint the location of the infestation within a structure. Fumigation with either methyl bromide or aluminum phosphide will kill all stages of the beetles present in food, and ensure food products are pest-free as they go into storage.

Origin: Currently found in many locations throughout the world, and in the U.S. particularly in the cooler climates of the northern and western states and into Canada.

Biology: As are many of the members of this family of beetles, the Black Flour Beetle is often found in natural habitats under the loose bark of trees or logs. It also may infest grain-based food products such as flour, meal, seeds or broken grains, as well as pet foods.

Identification: Very similar body shape to the common flour beetles, being elongate, flattened, and with parallel sides of th body. However, these two species are much larger, up to ¼ inch long, and they are a dark gray to black color. The final 4 or 5 segments of the antennae gradually enlarge to form a terminal club.