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A storage pest is an insect or other animal that damages or destroys stored food or other valuable organic matter. [1] Insects make up a large proportion of storage pests, with each type of crop having specific insects that gravitate towards them. For example, insects of the genus Tribolium , such as Tribolium castaneum (red flour beetle) or Tribolium confusum (confused flour beetle), primarily damage flour crops. [2] [3]
Insects can partially damage or even completely destroy crops. By decreasing the protein content and removing the seeds from the grains, insects can affect the quality of the crop and its ability to germinate new ones.
There are two types of grain insect pests, primary and secondary pests.
Primary grain pests attack the whole grain. The eggs are laid inside the grain, before the larvae mature inside the grain and then chew their way out. Some of these pests include the Lesser grain borer, Granary weevil (Sitophilus granarius, the Wheat weevil) and Rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae). [3]
The lesser grain borer has a dark coloured cylindrical structure with the head concealed. [4] When lesser grain borer eggs are laid, they are laid outside the grain, however they mature inside the shell of the seed which can take up to 6 weeks if the temperature is cooler, with the adult borers not living for longer than two months. This species is known to damage stored wheat, maize/corn and other cereal crops with the seeds becoming hollowed out husks. Products with small infestations should be discarded however the grains can be treated with smaller amounts of spray. However, large infestations require more control, including complete fumigation.
The adult rice weevil has an orange-black exoskeleton and lays up to 450 eggs in pores of the damaged grains with each hatched egg further damaging the grain from the inside. Similarly to the lesser grain borer, maturation also happens inside the grain with the matured adult rice weevil eating through the husk of the grain to get out. The life cycle is similar to that of the lesser grain borer in summer months (approximately one month) and adult weevils live up to 8 months after the experience their life cycle. [3]
Secondary grain insects feed on broken grain and any powder products left as a result of the broken grain. These pests include the genus Tribolium, beetle species and moth species.
The Red flour beetle or Rust-red flour beetle is a red-brown beetle with an exoskeleton that darkens in colour as the beetle increases in age, with the maximum adult age being a year. Unlike primary pests, Rust-red flour beetles can produce up to 1000 eggs and lay them inside the damaged grain with parts of the larvae able to use the damaged grains and cereal as their food source. [3]
The Warehouse moth is a grey moth that remains on the surface of the grain with the female moth laying up to 200 eggs, however their life span is only 2 weeks long with a 4 week life cycle. Similarly to other secondary pests, the Warehouse moth eggs use the surface of the grain, although when the larvae hatch they leave a stream of silk that encapsulates the surface of the grain which can then be used as a cocoon for mature larvae. [3]
The Curculionidae are a family of weevils, commonly called snout beetles or true weevils. They are one of the largest animal families with 6,800 genera and 83,000 species described worldwide. They are the sister group to the family Brentidae.
Weevils are beetles belonging to the superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small – less than 6 mm in length – and herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several families, with most of them in the family Curculionidae. It also includes bark beetles, which while morphologically dissimilar to other weevils in lacking the distinctive snout, is a subfamily of Curculionidae. Some other beetles, although not closely related, bear the name "weevil", such as the leaf beetle subfamily Bruchinae, known as "bean weevils", or the biscuit weevil, which belongs to the family Ptinidae.
Bookworm is a general name for any insect that is said to bore through books.
Darkling beetle is the common name for members of the beetle family Tenebrionidae, comprising over 20,000 species in a cosmopolitan distribution.
Pest control is the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest; such as any animal, plant or fungus that impacts adversely on human activities or environment. The human response depends on the importance of the damage done and will range from tolerance, through deterrence and management, to attempts to completely eradicate the pest. Pest control measures may be performed as part of an integrated pest management strategy.
Sitophilus is a genus of weevils in the tribe Litosomini. Some species are familiar as pests of stored grain, nut, or seed. Notable pest species include the rice weevil, wheat weevil, and maize weevil.
The wheat weevil, also known as the grain weevil or granary weevil, is an insect that feeds on cereal grains, and is a common pest in many places. It can cause significant damage to harvested stored grains and may drastically decrease crop yields. The females lay many eggs and the larvae eat the inside of the grain kernels.
Flour beetles are members of several darkling beetle genera including Tribolium and Tenebrio. They are pests of cereal silos and are widely used as laboratory animals, as they are easy to keep. The flour beetles consume wheat and other grains, are adapted to survive in very dry environments, and can withstand even higher amounts of radiation than cockroaches.
Home-stored product entomology is the study of insects that infest foodstuffs stored in the home. It deals with the prevention, detection and eradication of pests.
The confused flour beetle, a type of darkling beetle known as a flour beetle, is a globally found, common pest insect known for attacking and infesting stored flour and grain. They are one of the most common and most destructive insect pests for grain and other food products stored in silos, warehouses, grocery stores, and homes. They engage in cannibalistic behaviors for population control and nutritional benefits. Tribolium confusum practices kin selection to improve individual fitness. Multiple chemicals have been used to manage their infestation, including pyrethin and fungal insecticides.
The rice weevil is a stored product pest which attacks seeds of several crops, including wheat, rice, and maize.
Rhyzopertha is a monotypic genus of beetles in the family Bostrichidae, the false powderpost beetles. The sole species, Rhyzopertha dominica, is known commonly as the lesser grain borer, American wheat weevil, Australian wheat weevil, and stored grain borer. It is a beetle commonly found within store bought products and pest of stored cereal grains located worldwide. It is also a major pest of peanuts. The first documentation of wheat infestation by R. dominica was observed in Australia. R. dominica are usually reddish brown to dark brown in coloration, vary in sizes, elongated and cylindrical.
The Angoumois grain moth is a species of the Gelechiidae moth family, commonly referred to as the "rice grain moth". It is most abundant in the temperate or tropical climates of India, China, South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Egypt and Nigeria, with its location of origin being currently unknown. It is most commonly associated as a pest of field and stored cereal grains as they burrow within the kernel grains of crop plants, rendering them unusable for human consumption. By laying eggs between the grains themselves and hatching at a later time, often during the processing, transportation or storage stages, the moth can be transported to households or countries presently free of Angoumois grain moth infestations. Thus, constant protection against the Angoumois grain moth is required for grain up till the time of consumption.
The maize weevil, known in the United States as the greater rice weevil, is a species of beetle in the family Curculionidae. It can be found in numerous tropical areas around the world, and in the United States, and is a major pest of maize. This species attacks both standing crops and stored cereal products, including wheat, rice, sorghum, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, peas, and cottonseed. The maize weevil also infests other types of stored, processed cereal products such as pasta, cassava, and various coarse, milled grains. It has even been known to attack fruit while in storage, such as apples.
Tribolium is a genus of flour beetles in the family Tenebrionidae. They are known by various common names including flour beetles, flour weevils, red weevils and bran bugs.
Bruchus pisorum, known generally as pea weevil, is a species of leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. Other common names include the pea beetle and pea seed beetle. It is found in Europe and Northern Asia, North America, and temperate Asia.
Cosmopolites sordidus, commonly known as the banana root borer, banana borer, or banana weevil, is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae. It is a pest of banana cultivation and has a cosmopolitan distribution, being found in all parts of the world in which bananas are grown. It is considered the most serious insect pest of bananas.
Lariophagus distinguendus is a idiobiont ectoparasitoid hymenopteran in the family Pteromalidae, superfamily Chalcidoidea. It parasitizes small beetle larvae concealed in seeds, as well as prepupae and pupae in their cocoons. It is used for the biological control of several beetle pests of stored products, particularly in central Europe, where it is produced commercially and distributed by at least 11 companies.