They can live for over a year. Eggs laid by females hatch in 5 to 12 days. Larvae are white, tinged with yellow, slender and cylindrical. They have two short appendages on the end of the last abdominal segment. There may be 5 generations per year.
Mouthparts are for chewing.
Adults and larvae feed throughout stored food primarily in milled or prepared products. They are perhaps the most common pest of processed flour. This species is often used as a test animal in laboratory experiments because it is easy to keep in culture. For additional information, contact your local Texas extension service agent, or search for other state extension service offices.