Sitophilus granarius Insect Coleopter True Weevil Snout Beetle

Sitophilus  granarius mm 3-5 Insect Coleopter True Weevil Snout Beetle.
Common name: Grain Calender or Pasta Awl.

Infesting species widespread in temperate climates. Adults preferably live below the surface of the infested grain mass. They seek darkness and the protection of the innermost layers. The damage they cause is very serious with total loss of the caryopsis. It feeds on wheat, barley, corn, rice, rye, oats, sorghum. It can also infest pasta, chestnuts and grain legumes. It is a serious pest usually confined to the milling industry and where the kernels are stored in large volumes. It can also infest other commodities including pasta. The treatments, if found in the silos and in other places where the commodities are accumulated, can be carried out through fumigation, but if the infestation has now progressed the entire stock must be destroyed. This is due to the fact that the larva lives inside the caryopsis and does not come out of it except in the form of an adult. If the infestation is monitored at an early stage, it is possible to remove and destroy the infested part of the food and isolate the remaining part of the stock. The area where the infestation was observed will be treated with a residual action insecticide. Warehouses and breweries, including malting sites, can be treated with a residual insecticide on the walls and cracks at the wall and floor junction. The commodities usually attacked are groats, semolina and sorghum.