agronom.info agronomy portal
Reference · Pests

Tenebrionidae

Darkling beetles (family Tenebrionidae) are a large group of beetles belonging to the order Coleoptera. In agriculture, species of the genus Opatrum, such as the dusty surface beetle (Opatrum sabulosum), are particularly destructive. These insects are polyphagous pests whose feeding habits cause significant damage to field crops and vegetables, especially in arid climates.

129 items

What the section contains

Darkling beetles Tenebrionidae 33 products Lesser mealworm Alphitobius laevigatus 25 products Sand weevil Opatrum sabulosum 20 products Yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor 6 products Cynaeus angustus Cynaeus 1 product Adelium Adelium Adelium abbreviatum Adelium abbreviatum Alphitophagus Alphitophagus American black flour beetle Tribolium audax Ash darkling beetle Corticeus fraxini Black flour beetle Tribolium madens Blaps Blaps Blaps lethifera Blaps lethifera Blaps mortisaga Blaps mortisaga Blapstinus beetle Blapstinus Blue lagria Lagria cyanea Broad-horned flour beetle Gnatocerus curvicornis Broad-horned flour beetle Gnatocerus maxillosus Broad-horned flour beetle Gnatocerus Brown beetle Sitophagus hololeptoides Carpentaria false wireworm Gonocephalum carpentariae Churchyard beetle Blaps mucronata Confused flour beetle Tribolium confusum Confused flour beetle Tribolium Confused flour beetle Ulomoides dermestoides Confused flour beetle Ulomoides Coronado beetle Blapstinus coronadensis Corticeus glaber Corticeus glaber Dark flour beetle Tenebrio obscurus Darkling beetle Blapstinus fuliginosus Darkling beetle Corticeus Darkling beetle Eleodes omissa Eleodes omissa Darkling beetle species Eleodes militaris Eleodes militaris Darkling beetle species Eleodes suturalis Eleodes suturalis Darkling beetle Uloma ephippigera Uloma ephippigera Darling Downs darkling beetle Pterohelaeus darlingensis Depressed flour beetle Palorus ficicola Depressed flour beetle Palorus ratzeburgi Depressed flour beetle Palorus Depressed flour beetle Palorus subdepressus Desert beetle Gonocephalum torridum Desert false wireworm Blapstinus pimalis Desert false wireworm Eleodes extricata Destructor beetle Tribolium destructor Eleodes beetle Eleodes Eleodes hispilabris Eleodes hispilabris Eleodes opaca Eleodes opaca Eleodes pimeloides beetle Eleodes pimeloides Eleodes quadricollis beetle Eleodes quadricollis Embaphion Embaphion Embaphion muricatum Embaphion muricatum False wireworm Blapstinus dilatatus Freeman's flour beetle Tribolium freemani Gonocephalum Gonocephalum Gonocephalum acutangulum Gonocephalum acutangulum Gonocephalum depressum Gonocephalum depressum Gonocephalum elderi Gonocephalum elderi Gonocephalum hoffmannseggi Gonocephalum hoffmannseggi Gonocephalum intermedium Gonocephalum intermedium Gonocephalum macleayi Gonocephalum macleayi
Marketplace

Products in this section · 12

Весь каталог

Tenebrionidae

These insects affect a wide variety of crops, including cereals, sunflowers, corn, sugar beets, and various vegetables. The most severe damage occurs during the early spring when beetles emerge from hibernation and feed aggressively on the green parts of young plants, sprouts, and seeds stored in the soil.

The biology of darkling beetles involves one generation per year. Adult beetles typically hibernate in the soil, under plant residues, or in the upper soil layers. In spring, when soil temperatures reach 10–12°C, they emerge to the surface. Females lay eggs in the soil, and the larvae, known as false wireworms, develop underground, feeding on organic matter and occasionally on the roots of cultivated plants.

The damage is characterized by the nibbling of leaf edges, cutting off the stems of seedlings at the base, and destroying seeds before germination. Under drought conditions or in sparse stands, the pest's impact increases dramatically, often leading to total crop failure and the necessity for replanting.

Control measures include the following practices:

  • Adhering to crop rotation to disrupt the pest's life cycle.
  • Implementing proper soil tillage, such as stubble cultivation and deep plowing, to destroy wintering sites.
  • Using insecticidal seed treatments to protect young seedlings.
  • Deploying insecticide-treated baits during outbreaks of high adult beetle density.
  • Maintaining field hygiene by removing weeds that serve as breeding grounds for the beetles.