Among the small-sized, but very harmful insects are the flour flax, a tiny bug that prefers to settle in bulk food products, rendering them unusable. We offer you to get acquainted with the features of the appearance and lifestyle of this insect, to learn ways to get rid of it.
Appearance
Flour Khrushchak is a representative of the dark beetle family, the size of most bugs is not more than 3-5 mm (however there is also a large Khrushchak, it will be described separately). Distinctive features of insects are as follows:
- The body is oblong.
- Color - dark brown, with a reddish tint.
- Small antennae.
This pest is found in almost all regions of the country, has a fast breeding rate, one female during her short life can lay about a thousand eggs.
Varieties
These unpleasant bugs, which become a real problem, once in a human home, can be represented by various species, information about which is displayed in table form.
Name | Big Flour | Small | The black |
Short description of imago | Flat body up to 2 cm long, black or brown, lower part reddish | The average body length is 3.5 mm, despite the presence of wings, it is not capable of flying. It has special glands that repel enemies with an unpleasant odor. | The body is black, shiny, up to 5.5 mm long, the color of the legs and abdomen is slightly lighter |
Short description of the larva | Cylindrical, length up to 2.5 cm, color - dirty yellow. There are small legs with claws, the organs of vision are not formed | Taurus up to 6 mm long, with short hairs. Flat head | A flat body up to 1.3 mm long is covered with hairs. Color light brown |
Appearance of the chrysalis | White, has a pair of small spikes on the back ring | Light yellow, shiny, with tiny growths in the back of the abdomen | Dirty yellow shade, there are also tubercles |
The larvae of all these bugs are called flour worms, since they are most often found in flour or cereals, rendering them unusable.
Where pests live
Flour khreshchak belongs to the number of common insects, therefore it is found almost everywhere where there is food:
- Grain storage.
- Pasta factories.
- Barns
- Elevators.
- Kitchen apartments.
They are found in pantries, on balconies - in those places where it is customary to store food. They like stale products, so they most often settle where people rarely look.
Harm done
The beetle meal, the photo of which is presented above, is a very harmful creature that can ruin all stocks of cereals and pasta. In addition, they often use dried fruits as food: raisins, dried apricots, prunes, forcing housewives to throw food in whole bags.
If you find a larva or a bug, you should ruthlessly get rid of groceries, since it already contains insect excrement, parts of their chitinous cover, as well as the product is saturated with an unpleasant odor.
Methods of struggle
A lot of troubles can be done by the flour hrushchak in the apartment. How to get rid of this tiny pest? There are several ways.
The easiest way is to quickly discard all the infected cereals, flour and pasta, to check whether larvae or adults have remained in the boxes. After that, rinse all the shelves and walls with a solution of vinegar (take 1 tablespoon of vinegar 9% per 1 liter of water). Window sills, door frames and areas near the ventilation are also recommended to be treated with such an infusion so that the flour crust does not move from its neighbors.
Banks in which the infected groats were stored must be boiled.
If the number of pests is already very large, you should use more radical means: pour in the cabinets of the kitchen set, on the shelves of the pantry or other places where there is a butcher, a bait of equal amounts of borax, powdered sugar and flour. If necessary, the procedure is repeated after 10 days.
Chemicals
Let us consider how to get rid of the flour crust with the help of the achievements of the modern chemical industry. It is possible to use the following simple and inexpensive means:
- Dichlorvos. Before work, a respirator is put on, after which the container with the product should be shaken, and then sprayed onto the places where the bug was found, as well as cracks and baseboards, from a distance of about 30 cm, spraying simply “into the air” will not give an effect.
- Riapan. This poison has low toxicity and is safe for humans and pets. The tool is completely ready for use, so you should apply it with a thin layer to those places where the flour worm was found: boxes, shelves, as well as at baseboards and crevices. After 2-3 weeks, the powder should be removed, if necessary, repeat the treatment. The consumption rate is 10 g of powder per 1 m 2.
These drugs can get rid of the pest, you can purchase them in a specialized store.
Preventive actions
We examined measures to combat the small mealworm. However, any problem is easier to prevent than to solve. Therefore, in each bag of grain or cereal should be placed 2-3 peeled cloves of garlic - beetles-hrushchaki can not stand their smell. To store such products, use cans with tight-fitting lids. On the shelves you can lay out bay leaves or lavender sachets, these fragrances insects also do not like.
Sometimes larvae or adult beetles can be brought home along with purchased grain or cereals, which were stored in violation of technology. In this case, if the seller does not cause much confidence, you should put the purchase in the freezer for 4 hours, the larvae, if they were there, will die.
Methods for cleaning cereals
Sometimes there are situations when it is not possible to throw out cereals infected with a butcher, for example, if the family is very poor or lives in a disaster zone and cannot buy new buckwheat or rice. In this difficult situation, you can use this method:
- Try to sort out manually, or at least remove those insects that are visible to the naked eye.
- Pour the cereal into a cotton bag and place for a day in the “Freezing” compartment. Low temperature (below 0 ° C) is harmful for larvae and adults.
- Exposure to high temperatures will also help to get rid of the mealy, you should pour the croup on a baking sheet and place in the oven that has been warmed to maximum for 60 minutes.
However, such events are not able to save the flour, so, unfortunately, it still has to be thrown away.
Interesting Facts
We offer you to get acquainted with a selection of interesting facts about the Khrushchak flour:
- This insect, which is harmful to housewives, is enjoyed by fishermen, because its larvae are an excellent bait. Some even specifically breed pests for themselves and for sale.
- Poultry, turtles and geckos also eat flour worms with great pleasure.
- Pests can eat not only cereals and pasta, but also meat. So, for some time they are able to turn a carcass of a bird into a skeleton.
- The Great Flour Khrushchak is recognized as a quarantine object in Cuba.
- The pest larva, falling under the influence of direct rays of the sun, dies after 15 minutes.
- In the absence of food, pests can begin to eat each other.
Such is the flour Khrushchak - a pest that has spread almost throughout the globe, causing serious harm to food supplies. The fight against it can become long and difficult, so it is best to take prevention seriously and prevent it from appearing.