Color: Yellow

Viewed under magnification, the antennae of the pharaoh ant have 12 total segments and end in a three-segmented antennal club.

Behavior

This pest ant can be very difficult to control and eliminate. When foraging worker ants are killed by residual treatments, the colony will fracture or split into two or more colonies to ensure part of the colony survives. If such treatments are continued, the infestation is spread throughout the building. Pharaoh ants typically establish themselves in areas near moisture, such as the kitchen or bathroom. They travel from room to room within the walls via plumbing pipes and electrical wires.

Habitat

Pharaoh ants will nest in virtually any site that provides protection. Colonies have been found nesting in walls, furniture and appliances, but they have also been discovered in unique locations such as between the folds of sheets in closets, hollow curtain rods, inside irons, in small boxes and under roofing shingles. They are extremely opportunistic in their selection of nesting sites.

Read more

Read more

Color: The rice weevil is dark brown and usually has four light-colored patches on its wing covers. The granary weevil is uniformly dark brown in color.

The head of both weevils extends into a long thin “beak” at the end of which is its mouthparts. The rice weevil is further identified by the round or irregularly shaped “pits” on the top of its thorax. The pits on the granary weevil’s thorax are oval in shape.

Behavior

Both the rice and the granary weevil are internal feeders and the larva develops inside whole grain kernels. The female weevil bores a small hole into a grain kernel and deposits a single egg into the hole. She seals this hole with a gelatinous material and then repeats the process on kernel after kernel until she deposits 300-400 eggs. As a general rule, however, about 50% of the eggs do not hatch.

The "C" shaped, creamy white, legless larva emerges from the egg and completes its life feeding within the kernel. The kernel will eventually be hollowed out and the larva pupates within. After pupation, the adult beetle remains inside the kernel for a while before chewing its way out. The open, round exit holes are sign of a weevil infestation. Weevil exit holes differ from the exit holes created by the grain moth because they are open. The moth leaves a little, hinged "lid" over the hole. Within infested grain, the size of the weevils seen can vary greatly. A weevil’s size is dependant on the size of the grain kernel in which the larva developed.

Rice weevils are prolific breeders and can build up huge populations in stored grain to the point where the grain has little value as a food product. Infestations located in storage bins, silos and grain elevators have been found to a depth of about 5 feet. The grain deeper than that is usually too warm to support the weevils’ survival.

When disturbed, both types of weevil "play dead" by drawing their legs close to the body. They then lie still for several minutes before resuming movement. The granary weevil does not fly while the rice weevil is an active flier. It often flies to grain storage bins and buildings from nearby fields and from one end of a warehouse to the other.

Habitat

Both rice and granary weevils mainly attack whole grains, such as wheat, corn, barley and rice. These weevils may also be found infesting in such foods as macaroni and spaghetti when they get old. Rice weevils also feed on beans, nuts and cereals and have been observed sucking the juice from apples and pears. In homes, infestations are generally found in bird seed, nuts, decorative Indian corn and, in rare instances, in old pasta stored in cupboards. The adults feed on the same foods as the larvae but are not as restricted in their diets because the larvae need to develop inside whole grains.

The rice and granary weevils are the most economically significant pests of stored whole grains in the world. The granary weevil is more common in northern states while the rice weevil is more prevalent in the southern states. Both beetles, however, may be found throughout the world. In southern states, adult rice weevils will overwinter in the fields.

Read more

Color: Reddish brown

Both the red and confused flour beetles are oblong in shape with a body that is flattened. The antennae of both beetles end in a 3-segmented club; however, the antennae of the red flour beetle ends in an abrupt club. That of the confused flour beetle gradually grows larger toward the tip.

Read more