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Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council,
Town Hall, Coton Road,
Nuneaton, Warwickshire,
CV11 5AA.
Town Hall, Coton Road,
Nuneaton, Warwickshire,
CV11 5AA.
Tel: 024 7637 6376
Food Matters
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Spud's Down to Earth Advice on...FIREBRATS |
| The Firebrat (Thermobia domestica) is a member of the Lepismatidae Family (Order Thysanura), primitive insects with an incomplete life cycle where the young resemble the adults. None are of a significant pest status, it being merely their presence which causes most concern. In food premises, they can typically be found in catering or retail premises, including bakeries.
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Why are FIREBRATS a problem?Firebrats spoil foods by their presence and in this sense can be described as a nuisance pest. |
Know Your Foe!The insect is about 15-20 mm long, with a body covered in brownish, mottled, patterned scales. Firebrats have a tapered body with three distinctive thin bristly tails and very long, thin antennae that are longer than their body.Life Cycle/Biology About 100 eggs are laid in batches, with typically 17 – 20 nymphal stages/moults before adulthood. The adults live for up to 30 months. They are typically laid in cracks and crevices, poor-fitting coving and, sometimes, in machinery. They are very fast running insects. Foods Firebrats prefer starchy foods, but can digest fats and proteins. They can be found near flour spillage and deposit areas in bakeries. They are omnivorous i.e. capable of eating both plants and animals. Habitat Firebrats infest indoor locations and are normally associated with the high temperatures found in bakeries, around ovens and machinery. They are tolerant of high temperatures, favouring 32oC. They are nocturnal insects i.e. they tend to be active at night. |
Proactive ActionCrawling insect traps can be used to detect the presence of Firebrats or to monitor the efficiency of treatments carried out. |
EradicationShould the presence of firebrats be detected, wall/floor junctions and around the bases of plant and machinery should be treated with a residual insecticide, although the high temperatures may reduce the efficiency of many insecticides. Insecticidal dusts can be used in any identified or possible harbourage, which should also be sealed up to prevent access or further harbourage. |
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