Saw Toothed Grain Beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis)
The adult is a small, active, brown beetle, 2-3mm long, with a flattened body and six saw-toothed projections on each side of the thorax. Similar in appearance is the Merchant Grain Beetle which has a slightly different shape to the head and thorax.
The females live from 6 to 10 months and deposit upwards of 250 eggs in foodstuffs. Several generations may occur each year, as the life cycle requires only 3 to 4 weeks during the summer, when conditions are at their most favourable.
Controlling this pest requires careful inspection of all stored cereal foods, discarding the heavily infested material. Building fabric, machinery etc can then be sprayed using a residual insecticide.
