Mealybug

Tenebrio molitor

With its size of almost 2 cm, the flour beetle is a relatively easy pest to see. Its tracks are easy to recognize. Although it has been common in mills and bakeries for centuries, because it is so easy to spot, it rarely occurs en masse. It poses a certain health risk as it acts as an intermediate host for the rat tapeworm. Beetle approx. 12-20 mm long, brown when newly hatched, later black, dotted stripes on elytra. Approx. 150-200 sticky eggs are laid between the food. Larva up to 28 mm long, first white, then yellow-brown, smooth, known as “mealworm”. Development time from egg to beetle approx. 1 ½ years.