This widely distributed insect
feeds on a great variety of plant material, such as dry seeds,
seed potatoes, rubbish in bird nests, thatch on roofs, fungi
on trees, and miscellaneous dry vegetable refuse. It is known
to do serious damage in wine cellars by boring into corks,
and is also said to infest homes, feeding on dry seeds, meal,
and carpets. In Great Britain, where the oecophorids appear
to be more important pests of stored products than they are
in the United States, Endrosis sarcitrella is almost certain
to be found wherever broken grain, flour, or other vegetable
debris is allowed to accumulate undisturbed. This species is
widely distributed, and in a survey of insects on stored foods
and seeds, it was recorded from corn and other grains, mixed
feeds, and wheat bran.
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