ID Stored Wheat Insects

1/10 to 2/10 inch ant-like	Back   Beginning   Tree
Anisopteromalus calandrae Description: The adults are 0.2 inches long and winged. These beneficial insects do not feed on the grain. This wasp will attack the lesser grain borer, granary weevil, rice weevil, maize weevil, bruchid bean weevil, and cigarette beetle. They will normally die within five to ten days if no beetles are present in the grain. These parasitoids are found naturally in stored grain, which suggests that once released they may continue to suppress pests for many years. Because adult wasps are external to the grain, they can easily be removed from the grain using normal cleaning processes. The wasps will parasitize beetle larvae that are feeding within the grain kernels. They normally lay one egg externally on each host. At 30 degrees Celcius, it takes about 15 days to complete development on the lesser grain borer. If hosts are available, female wasps will live for 10 to 20 days at 30 degrees Celcius. Damage: Anisopteromalus calendrae is a beneficial insect and does not cause any damage to stored grain.
Theocolax elegans Description: The adults are less than 0.1 inches long (1-2 mm) and do not feed on the grain. The wasp can parasitize up to six lesser grain borer or weevil larvae per day. This wasp will attack the lesser grain borer, granary weevil, rice weevil, and maize weevil. They will normally die within five to ten days if no beetles are present in the grain. These parasitoids are found naturally in stored grain, which suggests that once released they may continue to suppress pests for many years. Because adult wasps are external to the grain, they can easily be removed from the grain using normal cleaning processes. The wasps will parasitize beetle larvae that are feeding within the grain kernels. They can parasitize up to 6 beetle larvae per day. They normally lay one egg externally on each host. At 30 degrees Celcius, it takes about 15 days to complete development on the lesser grain borer. Damage: These beneficial insects do not feed on grain or cause any damage to stored grain.
Cephalonomia waterstoni Description: The adults are less than 0.1 inches long (1-2 mm) and do not feed on the grain. This wasp specifically attacks the rusty grain beetle. They will normally die withing five to ten days if no rusty grain beetles are present in the grain. These parasitoids are found naturally in stored grain, which suggests that once released they may continue to suppress pests for many years. Because adult wasps are external to the grain, they can easily be removed from the grain using normal cleaning processes. The wasps will parasitize rusty grain beetle larvae that are feeding within the grain kernels. This wasp can paralyze up to 15 larvae per day. Wasp larvae feed externally on the host and mature rapidly. The generation time of the wasp is about 14 days at 30 degrees Celcius. If hosts are available, female wasps live for 15 to 20 days at 30 degrees Celcius. Damage: These beneficial insects do not feed on grain or cause any damage to stored grain.