Indianmeal Moth Granary Weevil or Wheat Weevil
General Description
| · The adult length is 3-4 mm.
· The adult cannot fly. There are elongated dents on the anterior pronotum. · The color of the adult is dark chestnut or black closely resembles the rice weevil · The larva is 3 mm long, legless, and arched. The head is red-brown and the body is white. · The pupa is white with her head down.
|
 |
Life Cycle and Common Characteristics
- There is no hibernation.
- The insect lives 10 months.
- The female lays eggs (total of 200-300 eggs) individually in small holes that the female makes through her mouth in the grain, and then covers with a slimy substance.
- The larva feeds on the contents of the grain, and after completing its growth, it makes a cocoon inside the grain from the particles of the infected grain, and it pupates.
- The adult emerges from a hole in the bean.
- The insect does not develop in grains if the moisture content is less than 10%.
- The generation is about one month in the summer and longer than that in the winter.
- Notes: In areas with high temperatures, the incidence of granary or wheat weevil decreases and the incidence of rice weevil increases.
Damage and Economic Implications
- The larva and the adult insect feed on the stored grain (wheat, rice), dried fruits, grain products, and tobacco leaves.
