Facts: Saw-Tooth Grain Beetle
Name: Oryzaephilus surinamensis
Appearance: Small in size (1/10” long), and reddish-brown in color. Notable characteristics of this insect include its relatively flat body, and the area behind its head which has six protrusions on each side, giving the appearance of a circular saw blade.
Habit: Unlike many insects, the sawtooth grain beetle is not attracted to light, nor does it have the ability to fly.
Health/Damage Concerns: Sawtooth grain beetles will infest a wide variety of products. Food production, packaging, and storage facilities should be aware of this pest, as it can cause large amounts of food to be unusable once contaminated.
Diet: These pests attack damaged grains, and will not infest whole grains. They use their slender shape to invade broken kernels and to enter tiny cracks around food packaging. Their most common food sources include cereal, pet food (including bird seed), nuts, tobacco, and spices.
Reproduction: Like many beetles, adult females will deposit their eggs directly on a food source so that larvae can feed without the need to travel. The larvae feed on this food source until they are ready to begin metamorphosis. They will use food particles to create a cocoon, and will emerge an adult beetle. In favorable conditions, the transformation from egg to mature adult can take as little as two months, with several generations per year.
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