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Life Cycle:
The female lays 300 to 500 eggs, singly or in clusters, in the loose grain. They hatch in a few days. The larvae moult 2 to 4 times. They may feed on the flour produced by the boring of the adults, or may bore directly into kernels that have been slightly damaged. They complete their growth within the grain, transform to white pupae, and the adults cut their way out. The life cycle takes only a month or two, depending on the temperature. The adult lesser grain borers chews grain voraciously causing damage which may facilitate infestation by a secondary pest. It is a strong flyer and may rapidly migrate from infested grain to begin new infestations elsewhere.

Factors Favoring Stored Grain Insects:
Temperature is a crucial environmental factor that influences the development of insects. There is always a minimum, optimum and a maximum range of temperature in which insects can survive. The most favorable temperature for most stored grain insects is about 80°F. Above 95°F or below 60°F, reproduction and survival is greatly reduced. Insects differ in their tolerance to either low or high temperatures. Most stored product pests would follow the same pattern of survival under a different range of temperatures. As temperature approaches zero, insect development, activity and movement decline to a minimum. Gradual increase in temperature will increase insect activity up to a certain range that differs among different species. Further increase in temperature above the optimum range will lead to increase in insect mortality and crashing of the population.

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