There are several species of Flour Beetles, the 2 most common being: The Confused Flour Beetle and The Rust-Red Flour Beetle.

Flour Beetles are mainly pests of cereal products and commonly found in bakeries and flour mills & some times domestic premises. Apart from cereals other products may be attacked, such as, oil seed, oil cake, nuts, dried fruit, spices, chocolate, bones and other animal products. Requires heated premises to survive the winter. You may encounter them in a kitchen or food store. Often eggs from beetles are in foodstuffs, pet food or bird food we consume but if the foodstuffs are ‘left’ a long time before being used or you were sent older stock from the warehouse/shop then the eggs have a chance to hatch out & complete their life cycle. This applies to most stored product pests.

Up to 450 eggs are laid at the rate of 2-10 per day, depending on temperature. The white eggs are sticky and soon get covered with debris. At 22-27 C they hatch in 6-14 days. The larvae are white tinged with yellow and pass through 5-15 moults before reaching a full-grown length of 5 mm. This takes 3-9 weeks. Pupae lie in the same foodstuff as the larvae and darken from their original white before emerging after 9-17 days. Adults feed on the same food as the larvae and live 15-20 months. There may be 5 generations per year.

In the United Kingdom, the case making clothes moth is much less important than the webbing clothes moth as a pest. It can be found throughout the country, but is most common in the southern counties. It is particularly capable of damaging hair and feathers, but will also feed on spices, tobacco, hemp, and skins. The moth derives its common name from the small silken case that the larva spins about its body and carries about wherever it feeds, thrusting its head and legs out in front (see picture below).

Sometimes in a severe infestation, larvae may crawl up on a wall in large numbers, dragging their cases behind them. In domestic situations the first time you may notice Moth or Carpet Beetle damage is when a piece of standing furniture is moved. Moth/Carpet Beetle damage usually occurs in carpets on undisturbed areas. Bird and rodent nests, animal remains, old wasp/bee nests and dead insects are frequently reservoirs of infestations. Description:
Adult case making clothes moths have a 1/2-inch wingspread. The adult is somewhat smaller and more brownish than the webbing clothes moth, and has 3 dark spots on the wings, but the spots become less discernible if the wing scales are worn off. Hind wings are smaller, lighter, and fringed with hair and scales. The males are smaller and lighter in colour than the females, and are active fliers. The females are sluggish, and fly only for short distances. The first thoracic segment of the larva, at first brown, later becomes black, and is divided by a longitudinal band.
Biology Females live about 30 days and lay 100 to 300 eggs. The larva stage lasts 50 or more days, (depending on temperature) and the pupa stage is passed in the case or cocoon. There are about 2 generations a year. The larva can turn within its case and feed on food material at either end without altering the position of the case. If the case is