Physical Characteristics

The cadelle, the largest of the stored grain, flour and meal-eating beetles, is about 3/8 inches long, and has a capsule-shaped body that ranges from black to reddish brown. It has a distinct pinched waist about 3/8 back, behind its oval-shaped head and thorax combination, giving it the overhead appearance of a Volkswagen towing a long trailer. This African transplant’s underside, antennae and legs are reddish brown. Cadelle larvae have creamy white and shiny bodies with black heads and two black horn-like points at the tail section, and can range from 1/2 to 1 inch in length.

Cadelle Beetle

Behavior

Both adults and larvae do damage to grain, and because females can live over a year and lay on an average of 1,000 eggs, the cadelle is a serious pest that can infest stored food products. Adults and larvae have been known to feed on cereals, potatoes, nuts (shelled and unshelled) and fruit; they also will feed on whole grains and on flour. Cadelle beetles also like wood, and will chew through wooden bins or barrels, creating harborages for other stored-food pests to inhabit, and will gnaw through sacks and cardboard cartons, giving other insects access to the contents stored inside. The female cadelles like to lay their eggs under the flaps of cartons.

 

Treatment:

Inspect the above-mentioned items for cadelle beetles or other pests, keep your kitchen and other areas clean, store items in Tupperware-type containers or sealed glass jars in a dry place, and rotate products, using your older goods first. If you think your cadelle beetle problem is escalating, call Clark Pest Control. Our highly trained technicians have the expert knowledge to solve your pest problem quickly.



Latin name: Tenebroides mauritanicus