Which pest is found in whole grains or seeds and has a shiny dark brown body with white, legless larvae?

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Multiple Choice

Which pest is found in whole grains or seeds and has a shiny dark brown body with white, legless larvae?

Stored-product pests in whole grains are often identified by matching the adult insect’s look with the larval form and how they attack the grain. The granary weevil is a classic example: the adults are small, shiny dark brown beetles with a distinctive long snout, which makes their body shape noticeable even in clean grain lots. But the really telling part is the larval stage — white, legless grubs that develop inside the grain kernels. This internal development explains why you may see damage inside intact-looking kernels and tiny exit holes or frass rather than finding larvae crawling around. So the combination of a glossy dark brown beetle with a prominent snout and larvae that are white and legless inside the grain is characteristic of granary weevils. The other pests listed don’t fit that exact pattern: cockroaches don’t infest grain kernels in this way, Indian Meal Moths have caterpillar larvae with legs and produce webbing, and saw-toothed grain beetles have a different body shape and damage pattern.

Stored-product pests in whole grains are often identified by matching the adult insect’s look with the larval form and how they attack the grain. The granary weevil is a classic example: the adults are small, shiny dark brown beetles with a distinctive long snout, which makes their body shape noticeable even in clean grain lots. But the really telling part is the larval stage — white, legless grubs that develop inside the grain kernels. This internal development explains why you may see damage inside intact-looking kernels and tiny exit holes or frass rather than finding larvae crawling around.

So the combination of a glossy dark brown beetle with a prominent snout and larvae that are white and legless inside the grain is characteristic of granary weevils. The other pests listed don’t fit that exact pattern: cockroaches don’t infest grain kernels in this way, Indian Meal Moths have caterpillar larvae with legs and produce webbing, and saw-toothed grain beetles have a different body shape and damage pattern.

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