Recognizing and fighting stock pests - overview


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Recognizing and fighting stock pests - overview: pests

Once stored pests have taken root, infested food is usually quickly spoiled / contaminated and a case for the trash can. Such food damage can quickly go into the money if you do not respond properly. In order to effectively combat, it is essential to identify the storage pests. This guide will give you an overview of the most common animals and how they can effectively fight them.

First infestation signs

There are thousands of different insects, but not everyone is interested in your food supplies. When you have food pests in the house, you recognize the following features:
  • Live or dead insects near food
  • Food eaten, packaging or similar
  • Insect traces such as larval skins, spider threads and sticky webs on food
  • Clumped cereal or pink flour
  • Small black "dots" in loose foods such as rice or sugar (mostly feces)

Endangered food

Not all foodstuffs are interested in storage pests. They are predominantly found in dry products, whether they come from plant or animal origin. Below is an overview of the preferred food sources of food pests:
  • Bakery products
  • meat
  • grain products
  • cheese
  • Sweets
  • tobacco
  • pet food
  • dried fish
  • dried fruit

pests

Here are a few storage pests, how to recognize them, where they occur, what kind of health hazards emanate from them and how to fight them.

American rice flour beetle (Tribolium confusum)

reddish brown rice flour beetle - Tribolium confusum

Recognize
  • Body length of three to four millimeters
  • Reddish brown color
  • Eyes wide apart, visible only from the lower side of the body
  • Extended sensors with upward thickening
  • Can fly, but usually does not
  • Larvae are white to yellow-brown
  • Larvae body length: one to five mm
  • They have three pairs of legs
  • Leave dark feces in the food
  • Meal flour is found in harder foods
  • Foods can change their smell and taste
Occurrence
These food pests feed on cereal products and mainly infest flour. Mostly, it attracts him to bakeries or in domestic cabinets and drawers, where baked goods and baking ingredients are kept.
health hazard
The American rice flour beetle produces the so-called "Chinon". This counts after the latest research results on the carcinogenic substances. For this reason, these food pests should be attacked immediately and any contaminated food should be disposed of.
fight
This stock pest demands a direct fight, which you can achieve with a non-toxic contra-insecticide. These are usually based on silica or include fossil plankton. This acts on the wax layer of the body surfaces, allowing them to dry out and, as a result, the American rice flour beetle dies.
On a biological basis, products with the active ingredients tea tree oil or neem oil. Likewise, the purely herbal pyrethrum extract shows as effective neurotoxin. This is obtained from chrysanthemums and is harmless to humans and pets.

Australian thieves (Ptinus tectus)

Recognize
The Australian thieving beetle has some distinctive identifying features that make identification fairly easy:
  • Body length: 2.5 mm to a maximum of four mm
  • Matt, dark brown basic color
  • Golden brown to grayish-white hair, which fits tightly to the body
  • Upright and juxtaposed bristle hairs on the wing coverts
  • Small white dots in the feeding substrate (discarded eggs)
  • "Cobwebs" on food and packaging
  • Small "drilled holes" in leather, plastic, paper or cardboard packaging
  • Females are nocturnal
  • You can not fly and shy the light
  • In imminent danger, they put themselves to death
Occurrence
Home of the Australian thieves is mainly in the nests of pigeons and sparrows. But the smell of various foods also draws into the kitchen and storage, where he does not stop at packaging, such as:
  • tea
  • spices
  • dried fruit
  • malt
  • yeast
  • semolina
  • Bird and fish food
health hazard
These food pests do not represent a health risk. However, infested foods are no longer suitable for consumption. In order to avoid multiplication and to dispose of any other food, fighting is essential.
fight
The most environmentally friendly control takes place via a glue trap.This is placed around the affected food and the beetles stick to it when touched.
Another option is products containing the active ingredient fossil plankton. It is a natural insecticide that can not be harmful to humans or pets. It acts as a neurotoxin for the food pests and lets them die in a few minutes.

Bread beetle (Stegobium paniceum)

drugstore beetle

recognition

The bread beetle is quite easy to identify as this, if the following abnormalities apply:
  • Body length between two and four millimeters
  • Oval body shape
  • Arched throat shield
  • Fine body hair
  • Point furrows on the elytra
  • Stored eggs in food or in the immediate vicinity
  • Only larvae eat food
  • Are very active
  • Adult beetles are attracted to the light where they seek a partner to propagate
Occurrence
As the name suggests, baked goods are one of the favorite varieties of bread beetles.
health hazard
A health hazard for humans by these storage pests is not to be feared. Infested food, however, become inedible and must be disposed of in the garbage bin under airtight plastic enclosure. The sealing of the food ensures that living pests will not spread again.
fight
In a rapidly recognized infestation pheromone is usually sufficient for bread beetle. This is a so-called monitoring trap, in which the bread beetle is lured and then trapped. Furthermore, the direct control with contact insecticides or non-toxic preparations such as with silica, a high effect. Killgerid Gold from Killgerm, for example, is known for its effectiveness against bread beetles.

Pea seed beetle (Callosobruchus maculatus)

Recognize
  • Body size about three millimeters
  • Reddish brown color
  • Black wingcap with gray accents and two black dots on top
  • Larvae: White with a conspicuously small head
  • In spring, he prefers flowers as a location
  • Like to hike
Occurrence
If he is not found in seeds of peas in the fields, he usually makes himself comfortable in storage cellars or cupboards, especially between dried beans. But he also likes to eat other legumes, such as dried beans and peas. But he has his main abode mainly in the wild.
health hazard
A health risk for humans does not emanate from the pea seed beetles. However, they usually lay their eggs in the legume, which makes them inedible. Food should accordingly be disposed of in the garbage as soon as infestation is suspected and has already been proven.
fight
This type of beetle can only be effectively controlled outdoors with appropriate insecticides. In the house fighting is usually superfluous. It is enough to dispose of the infested food.

Peanut Flat Beetle (Oryzaephilus Mercator)

Recognize
  • Body length between 2.5 and three millimeters
  • Long, narrow body shape
  • Flat physique
  • Reddish brown color
  • Six sawtooth-like formations on the side of the pronotum
  • White, elongated eggs, often bundled in piles
  • Mud holes also in robust food packaging
Occurrence
The peanut flat beetle looks for food in foods that are high in oil or fat, such as nuts.
health hazard
The groundnut flat beetle is an increased health risk. It multiplies rapidly and leaves infected feces behind. There is also the risk of fungus formation. These storage pests are to be combated as quickly as possible and carefully add infested food to the garbage.
fight
Contact insecticides or non-toxic products such as diatomaceous earth effectively act against these food pests. However, treated foods should also be disposed of. Also suitable are adhesive traps. Here, however, you should work with attractant oil, as the pests rarely leave their food sources. In order not to leave behind eggs or beetles, it is recommended to freeze infested food in the freezer for a few days. Everyone is dying here.

Common bacon beetle (Dermestes lardarius)

skin beetles

The common bacon beetle is often found in German households.
recognition
  • Body length between six and ten millimeters
  • Body shape oval
  • Scaly skin
  • The head, the pronotum and the rear part of the cover wings are black
  • Front part of the cover wings are gray-yellow and have three small black dots
  • Brown-brown larvae with a slender body shape and long bristles
Occurrence
The common bacalb beetle is particularly fond of nesting in the interior of the home, whereby the styrofoam penetrates as well as wood, cardboard or the like. He is mainly found in wool and feathers. His larvae have a predilection for animal products, preferring sausage, bacon and ham.
health hazard
Although there is no direct health risk from the common bacon beetle, it is a hygiene problem and should therefore be removed from the household.
fight
You can fight these furniture and food pests only in the beetle and larval stage. Infested food must be placed in airtight containers and disposed of. They can also be absorbed. An alternative offer poison-free insecticides with silica or neem oil, as offered for example by BAYER. Contact with food must be strictly avoided.

Cereal flat beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis)

The grain flat beetle is similar to the peanut flat beetle. They differ only minimally in their appearance and prefer other food sources.
Recognize
  • Flat physique
  • Body length about three millimeters
  • Body color: gray-brown
  • Six protruding pointed teeth on both sides of the pronotum
  • Eye-catching structure behind the eyes with a length like the eye
  • Eleven-membered antennae with tripartite end lobes
  • Larvae white to tender yellow with long, fine hair
  • Larvae size up to about five millimeters
Occurrence
The grain flat beetle and the larvae look for their food mainly in cereal products and carbohydrate-rich foods and squeeze through the smallest openings to get through packaging to their feeding destination. These include, for example:
  • cereal
  • dried fruit
  • Flour
  • raisins
  • Cookies
health hazard
See peanut flat beetle
fight
As described in the section "Peanut flat beetle".

Cheese mite (Tyrolichus Casei)

Recognize
  • Body size about 0.5 mm
  • Hairy body
  • Colorless body
  • Brown legs and mouth tool
  • Six legs present in the larval stage
  • There are eight legs in the nymph and adult stages
Occurrence
It feeds on almost all types of cheese. The older he is, the better he likes them. They like it warm and humid. They do not survive in a refrigerator, so you should never leave your cheese uncooled for long. But the cheese mites feed, for example, of
  • nuts
  • dried fruit
  • dry egg
  • Flour
  • tobacco
health hazard
The cheese mites and their left behind feces in or on food, can cause stomach and intestinal problems. Skin irritation is also not uncommon.
fight
It is best to combat these storage pests by refrigerating all foods that may be affected for at least one day. It goes faster in the freezer. Then these are of course the household waste to be added.

Meal mites (Acarus siro)

Widely used is the meal mite.
Recognize
  • Body size about 0.5 mm
  • Body color: white
  • Has six legs
  • In the nymph and adult stage eight-legged
  • Like to stay in high humidity
  • Leave on infested foods as a kind of light dust layer
  • Taste becomes bitter
Occurrence
The flour mites are of course in flour at home, as the name suggests. For dough and baked goods as well as for animal feed and grain products, they also say no.
health hazard
Flour mites are harmful to humans and animals. They can cause skin irritations, cause shortness of breath, especially in people with allergies, and lead to gastric problems when consumed.
fight
See the section "cheese mites".

Red-legged ham beetle (Necrobia Rufipes)

red-legged ham beetle - Piston beetle - Necrobia rufipes

The red-legged ham beetle is less common, but once it's there, it can cause immense damage.
recognition
  • Body size between four and five millimeters
  • Upper area shines shimmering blue-green (metallic)
  • Lower rump dark blue
  • Bright red-brown or orange legs
  • Red-brown antennae with dark brown or black club
  • Are airworthy
  • Larvae are rigid, but very voracious
Occurrence
If these stock pests do not fly around looking for food in search of food, they may have already reached their destination. Special delicacies are for these food pests
  • hard cheese
  • smoked sausage
  • ham
  • chocolate
  • Smoked and dried fish
  • dried fruit
health hazard
Allergic reactions and stomach and intestinal problems can be caused by these storage pests. Therefore, not only infested food wegzuschmeissen, but also the food, which are in the immediate vicinity of this / stand. The place must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
fight
While in industrial warehouses hydrogen phosphide represents the only effective control measure, at home you only have to collect or absorb these storage pests. If you are still not master of the situation, it is advisable to hire a professional exterminator.
TIP: You can prevent an infestation by ham beetle by storing food in a sealed container and / or storing it in the refrigerator. The storage pests do not like cold, but unfortunately they do not die there, which would make the fight easier.

Recognizing and fighting stock pests - overview

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