Red flour beetles and confused flour beetles are the two most common types of flour beetles in the United States. Adult flour beetles measure no more than 4 millimeters in length. These insects lay eggs daily for several months at a time while feeding. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the grain product in which they were hatched.
Characteristics of Flour Beetles
Flour beetles feed on processed dry goods such as flour, cereal, pasta, shelled nuts and sugar -- dried fruits, too. Due to their small size, flour beetles are able to crawl into sealed packages to feast and reproduce virtually undetected. Each life stage of the flour beetles takes place in the grain products they infest.
Reproduction and Life Expectancy
Each year, five generations of flour beetles are produced. Eggs deposited by females into grain products are difficult to see with the naked eye. The process of morphing from egg to adult takes six to eight weeks, a Michigan State University website says. Once in the adult stage, flour beetles live for one year.
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Writer Bio
Amanda Williams has been writing since 2009 on various writing websites and blogging since 2003. She enjoys writing about health, medicine, education and home and garden topics. Williams earned a Bachelor of Science in biology at East Stroudsburg University in May 2013. Williams is also a certified emergency medical technician.
