Cadelle

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Cadelle

        1. Cadelle

        General Description

        ·  The adult is black, about 8-12 mm long. The body is oblong and tends to be an oval in shape. It has strong jaws, and its head and thorax are connected to the abdomen by a small ring.

        ·  The larva is relatively large in size and may reach a length of 18 mm. The color of the larva is yellowish-white, and the abdomen ends with two strong thorns, dark brown or black in color.

         

        Credit: Rosa Henderson

         

        Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

        • The insect spends its winter hibernation in the larval stage or an adult.
        • The female lays eggs in groups on or near food items (from 10-60 eggs per group).
        • One female can lay about 1000 eggs.
          • The eggs hatch after 7-10 days on average into larvae that complete their development in a period ranging from 2-14 months,
          • The larva may live for 3.5 years before turning into a pupa.
          • It is considered one of the longest-lived food insects, as the average life reaches about a full year and may extend to two years. They can survive for a long time without food.
        • An insect has one generation per year.

         

        Damage and Economic Implications

        • This insect infests flour, crushed grains, and cereal products.
        • It is sometimes considered one of the most dangerous insects of stored grains, and if it is abundant, its damage becomes severe, especially in mills.
        • It has the ability to puncture food packaging bags and cartons.

        The larva has a habit of burrowing into the wood and is difficult to remove when performing normal cleaning operations. It prefers to feed in the embryo area on whole grains and can feed on other insects.