Continued
Hosts:
In addition to the obvious grain and stored product hosts, the beetle has been found in many locations that would not be obvious food sources, unless one realises that the insect is by nature an omnivorous protein scavenger. It has been found in the seams and ears of burlap bags and wrappers, in baled crepe rubber, automobiles, steel wire, books, corrugated boxes (glue), bags of bolts, and even soiled linen and priceless oil paintings. It is frequently intercepted on obvious food products such as rice, peanuts, dried animal skins, as well as its preferred natural foods such as wheat and malted barley. Such infestations may result from the storage of the product in infested warehouses, by transportation in infested conveyances, or from reuse of sacks or packaging previously used to hold material infested by khapra beetle.

Detection:
Detection may be accomplished by trapping or visual inspection. A khapra beetle trap developed by the USDA is commercially available. When using traps, be aware that a trap will only indicate that the species is present if trapped, but that negative trapping results shall never be used as absolute proof that the insect is not present. Inspecting for khapra beetle is difficult and meticulous due to the small size of the insect, its habits, and the difficulty of identifying small or damaged specimens.

Click here to continue