Physical Characteristics

The adult sawtoothed grain beetle looks so close to the merchant grain beetle that they were once considered one species. The sawtoothed grain beetle’s eyes, however, are positioned toward the front of its head, away from its prothorax. This beetle looks like a tractor-trailer from above, with its prothorax containing six saw-like teeth on each side. Adults are about 1/8 inch long and dark brown, with a flattened body. Wings are not well developed. Its larva is less than 1/8 long, yellowish-white in color and is elongated, with no cerci-like protrusions on its tail, and three-segmented antennae on its head.

Sawtoothed Grain Beetle

Behavior

The sawtoothed grain beetle is a scavenger; it cannot attack whole, unbroken kernels, but its flattened body allows it access through small cracks and into packages that aren’t well sealed. It doesn’t fly, and is not attracted to light. This beetle will attack bread, breakfast foods, candy bars, cereals, chocolate, dried fruit, dried meat, drugs, nuts, snuff, sugar and tobacco.

 

Treatment:

Inspect the above-mentioned items for sawtoothed grain beetles or other pests, keep your kitchen and other areas clean, store items in Tupperware-type containers or sealed glass jars in a dry place, and rotate products, using your older goods first. If you think your sawtoothed grain beetle problem is escalating, call Clark Pest Control. Our highly trained technicians have the expert knowledge to solve your pest problem quickly.



Latin name: Oryzaephilus surinamensis