Suriname mucoeds are fairly common insect pests. They have the ability to reproduce at a rapid pace and also instantly destroy crop supplies. Mucoeds quickly adapt to different living conditions, so they inhabit almost all areas of the globe. In this article we will talk about this insect and find out how it can be removed.
External description of the Suriname mucoed
There are many species of mucoeds in the world.
Surinamese is one of them. It does not have bright external features and is very small. Therefore, it is quite difficult to understand that this is the Surinamese mucoed. The body of an adult individual of this insect is only 2.5-3.5 millimeters in length. The body itself is oblong, slightly flattened and covered with faint stripes. The surface of the pest's body has a matte color. The head of the Suriname mucoed is directed forward and also flat. It has long whiskers that thicken towards the end. The color does not have flashy shades and can usually vary from dark yellow, red and dirty brown to completely black.
In addition, the insect has well-developed wings and sexual differences. For example, male Surinamese mucoeds have a tooth on the underside of their limbs in the hip area.
Life cycle
The Suriname mucoede directly goes through all stages of development inherent in insects.
Under comfortable living conditions, it can live up to 3 years. But in 1 year, from 2 to 5 generations of these insects appear in the world. The main criterion for the rate of pest reproduction is temperature. Typically, the acceptable temperature for the Suriname mucoed is +25-27 degrees. If it drops below +16 degrees, the bugs stop reproducing. Over the course of their entire life span, female Suriname mucoeds lay 150-280 eggs. Sometimes this figure can reach 500-550 eggs. At one time, a female gives birth to offspring of up to 30 eggs. The size of one egg, as a rule, does not exceed 1 centimeter. It has an elongated oval shape and a white or slightly yellowish color. The egg stage can last from 10 to 12 days.
Next, the eggs hatch into larvae. They have a flattened body of a dirty yellow color. The head of the pest is clearly visible. It is usually brown or auburn. The larva also has powerful antennae. The length of the body is no more than 0.4 centimeters. Two bright brown spots can be seen on the upper segment of the body of the Suriname mucoed larva. Their size and shade often vary. The back of the larvae's body is pointed.
Typically, the larvae of Suriname mucoeds eat the same things as adults. They can also feed on eggs, pupae and larvae of other small insects. The larval stage lasts up to 18 days if the air temperature does not drop below +25-27 degrees.
After the larva, the Suriname mucoed becomes a pupa. At this stage it reaches a length of 2-3 millimeters. The body of the pupa is also flat and has a light yellow color. A distinctive feature of the Suriname beetle pupae is the spines on their body. Six spines are located directly on the lateral side of the sternum, and one spine is located on each abdominal ring. There are also two spines at the end of the beetle's abdomen. Usually, in comfortable living conditions, the pupal stage lasts 6-12 days.
Laemophloeus testaceus F.
Placonotus testaceus, Cryptolestes testaceus, Cucujus testaceus
rufous grain beetle
Coleoptera (Beetles) - Coleoptera
The red flour beetle is a small rusty-yellow beetle. The body is covered with hairs. Pest of grain products with high humidity. Inhabitant of mills, bakeries and feed mills.
The author has repeatedly heard how laboratory assistants at grain processing enterprises called all insects similar to the red mulled beetle “saffron milk beetles”, referring primarily to this one, but, as a rule, classifying many small beetles as the red mulled beetle.
In foreign Internet sources, the red mucoed is considered one species with the short-whiskered (red) mucoed; in most domestic sources, the red mucoed is described as a separate species. (Compiled)
Click on photo to enlarge
Features of the life activity of the Suriname mucoed
The Suriname flour beetle is a heat-loving insect that is not very resistant to the effects of cold.
If the air temperature drops below -5 degrees, the mucous eater dies within 10-13 days, and if it is 0, after three weeks. As a rule, Surinamese mucoeds live in large colonies and settle near larger insects. The fact is that it is difficult for Suriname beetles to gnaw through the original shell of grains. Therefore, they eat the leftover food that their neighbors left behind. However, sometimes Suriname mucoeds can be primary pests, but then they do not eat all the food and crops.
If there is no food, the colony of bugs may migrate to another location. After all, these insects are highly active.
When exposed to bright light or danger, the Surinamese mucous eater pretends to be dead. But if it is threatened by a weak or equal enemy, the colony can fight back.
It is important to note that these insects in most cases are not picky about food. If they live in a natural habitat (in bark, stones, under foliage), they usually eat small insects, thus becoming predators.
To fully feed, the pest also needs plant food, and not just cereals and grains. The Surinamese mucous eater can eat the following types of foods:
- flour of any kind;
- pasta and spaghetti;
- dried fruits and dried vegetables;
- cookies and confectionery;
- seeds and nuts.
In their natural habitat, insects do not receive the required amount of plant food. It is because of this that their lifespan is shorter than that of beetles from granaries and warehouses.
Areas of residence
The Suriname mucoed is distributed on all continents of our planet, except Antarctica.
It exists, of course, in our country. In the Russian Federation, it inhabits areas with high humidity and elevated temperatures. After all, as mentioned above, the flour eater does not tolerate sudden changes in temperature. It can reproduce only in warm rooms. In China, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, the Suriname mucoed is an organism that must be destroyed.
This insect is often found in granaries and mills, bakeries, industrial enterprises and catering establishments, as well as in human homes.
Video
Simple and affordable methods will help you cope with pests in the kitchen. To understand the intricacies of their use, watch the presented videos:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=NzJAWDvm5Zw
Young mother, wife and part-time freelancer. Being a lawyer by training, I am accustomed to collecting and providing the most complete and reliable information. Constantly improves in the professional field and strives for personal growth and development.
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Is the Suriname mucoed beetle dangerous and why?
The Surinam mucoed is a very voracious and extremely prolific insect that quickly consumes food reserves.
Moreover, this is done not only by adults, but also by their larvae. Everything that mucoeds came into contact with can no longer be consumed for food purposes for the following reasons:
They leave their excrement in the food. It is not possible to completely rid food of the remains of mucoeds. Feces are very often toxic to the human body and can cause severe allergies.
The food may contain clutches of eggs. It will be impossible to completely rinse or somehow clean food from them. Eggs and larvae of insects can cause poisoning.
Mucoeds carry dangerous fungi and bacteria. If a person consumes a contaminated product, it causes intestinal infectious diseases.
Due to the fact that the insect has powerful jaws, it can chew through bags and the protective layer of paper. And because of their small size and elongated body, the bugs crawl into even the smallest cracks and cracks.
Maliciousness
How dangerous is the Suriname mucoed? First of all, because it is capable of severely damaging large reserves of flour, cereals and grain in a fairly short period of time. In addition, this pest can often be found in dried fruits and vegetables, often in those that are already moldy.
On a note! In just one time, a female mucoed is capable of laying from 100 to 600 eggs. She lays her eggs on a food substrate, which the emerging larvae subsequently feed on!
Flour eater is also dangerous because it reduces the value of contaminated food products to absolute zero. Eating them is highly discouraged, as there is a high probability of an allergic reaction.
The main ways to combat the Suriname mucoed
Because of this, the Suriname mucoede multiplies quickly; it also quickly infects the entire occupied territory.
Therefore, before starting the main pest control, it is necessary to pay special attention to cleaning. After all, mechanical processing also plays an important role in removing mucoed. It implies partial manual destruction of the population, which directly increases the efficiency of further actions. This processing includes several stages:
- Search for contaminated food. It is better to throw them out immediately in order to at least get rid of the pest eggs.
- Wet cleaning of the room, during which all dust, dirt and debris are removed. After cleaning, the trash can is covered with a lid, and garlic is placed nearby to repel beetles.
- It is better to remove all dishes and cutlery from the room. Otherwise, the pests will hide there until better days.
- The entire surface of the kitchen furniture should be washed with water to which vinegar is added in the proportion of 1 liter of water to 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
- You can also use water and salt to treat cabinets and kitchen surfaces.
- It is recommended to hide food products in plastic bags and put them in a cool place. If after 10 days no pests are found in them, you can leave the products for consumption.
- If the mealworms have already come into contact with cutlery, you need to wash them in hot water and add liquid soap or dishwashing detergent.
- Particular attention should also be paid to the sink. You need to make sure it stays dry.
Chemical control methods
Insecticides are the most popular and effective method of combating Surinamese mucoeds, allowing you to destroy the entire colony of pests.
Of course, the disadvantage of these products is their toxicity to humans and pets. However, this method is the best if the degree of infection is high. Before using chemicals, be sure to remove food and utensils from the area being treated. You also need to limit access to the room to household members and animals.
Next, close all the windows and apply the product in an even layer to all kitchen surfaces. Don’t forget about hard-to-reach areas, for example, the back walls of cabinets, cracks and crevices. After treatment, the room is closed and they wait for several hours. When the treatment is completed, the room is well ventilated and it is wet cleaned.
Before processing, you should wear personal protective equipment. After all, insecticidal agents can negatively affect not only the body of pests, but also people.
We list the most popular and effective insecticidal agents for combating Surinamese mucoeds:
- Raid.
A universal remedy for exterminating various types of insect pests. It comes in the form of an aerosol spray. Reid's active ingredients are cypermethrin, imiprothrin and prallethrin. The advantage of the drug is that it does not have a pungent odor and is sold in almost every hardware store. The disadvantage of Raid lies in its low toxicity to mucoed eggs. Therefore, it does not pose a serious danger to humans. - Raptor.
It also acts on many types of insects and is available in aerosol form. The active ingredients of Raptor are cypermethrin and tetramethrin. It is inexpensive and not particularly toxic to humans. However, like Reid, this drug does not affect pest eggs. - Dichlorvos.
A long-familiar remedy for direct control of various types of insects. Its main drawback is its high toxicity to humans and pets. The composition of the product may vary depending on the manufacturer. In addition to the fight itself, Dichlorvos repels mucoeds, thus also being a preventative agent. - Battalion commander
It contains synthetic permethrin, which kills not only mucoids, but also cockroaches, fleas, bedbugs, flies and mosquitoes. This drug is also available and not very toxic to humans. But it does not have any effect on egg laying.
Traditional methods
Traditional methods of combating mucoeds are less effective than insecticides. Therefore, they are almost useless when baiting a large colony of pests. However, on the other hand, they are completely safe for the human body and the health of pets. They can also be used as prophylactic agents. We list the main folk methods for combating the Surinam mucoed:
- Garlic heads, orange, lemon and tangerine peels, as well as bay leaves are repellent products that help speed up the removal of mucoeds. Usually they are laid out in kitchen cabinets and changed as needed.
- Essential oils are also good at repelling insects. For example, lemon, bergamot, clove, chamomile, fir, lavender and basil.
- Pyrethrum is a natural remedy in powder form made from Dalmatian chamomile flowers. It is completely non-toxic for people and pets. In addition, you can buy it at the pharmacy. Typically, pyrethrum powder is scattered on cabinets and shelves in the kitchen. It is replaced with a new one after 1-2 weeks.
- Vinegar is an inexpensive but effective remedy. They moisten a sponge or cloth with it and wipe all surfaces with it. Before processing, all contaminated products are thrown away.
- Boric acid. It is usually mixed with powdered sugar and flour. The resulting mixture is poured onto a piece of paper and left in the kitchen cabinet. Flour eaters will eat the bait and die after a certain amount of time. Since the poison does not immediately affect the pests, there is a possibility that they will deliver the bait to the nest, which will kill other inhabitants of the colony.
- Homemade traps. The simplest option is regular tape onto which the bait is scattered. If necessary, the trap is replaced with a new one. However, it should be borne in mind that this method only works on adults.
How to get rid of the red mukoeater in the house
On an industrial scale, people fight mucous beetles and other pests regularly, and most often use the services of professionals for this. But, if the flour eater has settled on the kitchen shelf of a private house or apartment, then this method may turn out to be unreasonably expensive.
Once you notice signs of the presence of this tiny pest, the first thing to do is throw away or destroy all infested products.
Attempts to sift or visually select “clean” cereals will be useless, since beetle eggs are so tiny that it is almost impossible to notice their presence even in snow-white flour. Only after the food supply of the insect has been destroyed can we proceed to surface treatment.
Mucoed beetle.
Folk remedies
Before moving on to the “heavy artillery” and using chemicals, many people first try to get rid of the pest using folk recipes. The best effect among them is the impact on insects with a pungent odor. To do this, you can lay out on the shelves:
- garlic cloves and peels;
Pest beetle: mucous beetle.
- cotton pads soaked in essential oils;
- bay leaves;
- nutmeg;
- dried herbs with a strong odor.
Chemicals
If folk remedies do not help solve the problem, then you should resort to insecticides. Proven and effective drugs for controlling household pests are:
- Raptor;
- Dichlorvos;
- Combat;
- Raid.
Preventive actions
The main reason mucoeaters enter a person’s home is the purchase of already contaminated cereals and flour.
These types of products should always be inspected before consumption. All purchased cereals and flour mixtures must be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It is also necessary to follow the rules for storing food:
- Provide access to sunlight. After all, it is known that the Suriname mucoed does not like exposure to the sun. That is why it is better to store rice, buckwheat, pasta, flour and other such products in glass jars. This will reduce the humidity that mucous eaters love so much.
- It is recommended to place a bay leaf, a sprig of lavender, chamomile flowers or garlic near the location of the flour and cereals.
- If possible, store dried fruits and nuts in the refrigerator.
- Cereals can be fried and packaged in sealed bags.
It is also recommended to wash all cabinets regularly with a vinegar solution.
This will get rid of crumbs and other debris. If there are cracks and cracks in the house, they need to be closed to limit the entry of various insects into the house.
Prevention is also very important for grain storage facilities, as well as food warehouses. Before receiving grain, flour and pasta, warehouses are carefully processed, and the products themselves are inspected for the presence of mucoed. The grains themselves are cleaned of debris and grains with defects.
Of course, it is better to prevent the appearance of pests in the home and industrial enterprises than to fight them for a long time and persistently, wasting your time, effort and financial resources.
Kitchen pests
Parasites, represented by bugs, can get into flour or dry cereal in the kitchen in any way. These include:
- Red mucoeds are coleopterous insects about 2 mm long, brown in color, and have long antennae. Most often, the red flour beetle enters the house with low-quality pet food, cereals, spoiled grain or flour, the moisture content of which is no more than 15%. Red mukoeaters, not finding food for themselves, die. Their activity can be determined by the grinding of a flour sieve;
Small Khrushchak - Small beetles - brown bugs about 3 mm with small antennae. The favorite foods of insects are flour and starch, although these parasites are not particularly picky about other foods. Products eaten by grubs take on a spoiled, lumpy appearance;
Bread grinder - Bread grinders are voracious and omnivorous beetles with a cylindrical, brown body covered with fine hairs. Bread borers can be found in cereals, legumes, nuts, flour products, food for our little brothers, tea and coffee granules, and even in tobacco components.
Therefore, when such bugs or their larvae are discovered, it is necessary to immediately take measures to exterminate these parasites.
