Monitoring <I>Tribolium castaneum</I> (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in Pilot-Scale Warehouses Treated with Residual Applications of (<I>S</I>)-Hydroprene and Cyfluthrin

Abstract

Pilot-scale warehouses, artificially infested with all life stages of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), were used to evaluate the efficacy of two contact insecticides, (S)-hydroprene and cyfluthrin, and to determine the effect of insecticide treatments on insect captures in food- and pheromone-baited pitfall traps. Two application strategies were compared; insecticides were applied at the labeled rate either around the inside perimeter of the warehouse or in a band around the base of shelf units containing discrete food patches (10 g of wheat flour) infested with T. castaneum. Insect populations were assessed weekly for 6 wk by recording number of dead adults on the warehouse floor; number of larvae and adults captured in pitfall traps; and number of larvae, pupae, and adults recovered from food patch samples. There were significantly more dead adults in warehouses treated with cyfluthrin than with (S)-hydroprene or water (control treatment). However, food patch samples showed no detectable differences in quantity of larvae, pupae, or adults among any treatments. Pitfall traps detected fewer larvae starting the fourth week of the study in the warehouses treated with cyfluthrin around the shelf perimeter. Rate of larval capture in traps increased overall with increasing larval populations, but it was more pronounced in traps located closer to the food patches. Number of adults captured in pitfall traps reflected adult mortality in cyfluthrin-treated warehouses. Capture of larvae and adults was greater near the source of the infestation than elsewhere in the warehouse, suggesting that trapping data should be considered when precision targeting insecticide applications in the field.

Efficacy of Methoprene Applied at Different Temperatures and Rates on Surface Substrates to Control Eggs and Fifth Instars of <I>Plodia interpunctella</I>

“…Our results also differ from those of Mohandass et al (2006b,c) which established efÞcacy of hydroprene as a surface treatment for eggs and wandering-phase larvae of P. interpunctella. Hydroprene is also effective against larvae of the red ßour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), exposed on different treated surfaces (Toews et al 2005). The lack of control of eggs exposed on a surface treated with methoprene is surprising because, like hydroprene, it is an IGR with a similar mode of action.…”

Movement Behavior of Red Flour Beetle: Response to Habitat Cues and Patch Boundaries

“…The well-developed dispersal ability of red ßour beetle has contributed greatly to its pest status, yet information on red ßour beetle movement outside of food patches is very limited because early studies focused only on emigration from patches (Korona 1991) or because the experimental design constrained movement to artiÞcial channels between patches (Naylor 1961, Lomnicki and Krawczyk 1980, Ben-Shlomo et al 1991. Campbell and Hagstrum (2002) investigated how red ßour beetle exploited patches of food on a scale larger than previously studied, and Toews et al (2005) documented the role of food, spatial structure, and trap position on trap catches in simulated warehouses; however, more studies on movement and foraging behavior are needed because the decreased reliance on pesticides for control requires a better understanding of the biology, behavior, and ecology of stored-product insects. The prominence of red ßour beetle as an experimental model (Sokoloff 1974) has led to its extensive use as a genetic model for Coleoptera.…”

Food source provisioning and susceptibility of immature and adult Tribolium castaneum on concrete partially treated with chlorfenapyr (Phantom®)

“…However, the results of this series of studies show that the presence of the refugial food source compromised the effectiveness of chlorfenapyr, as adult T. castaneum females that encountered the residues on the treated portion of the arenas were able to locate the untreated food source and oviposit before mortality occurred. When the contact insecticide was applied as a banding treatment around a refugial area with a food source, inside a shed artificially infested with T. castaneum, dead adults were present on the floors but the overall populations in the food source remained constant (Toews et al 2005). Hence, in field sites where contact insecticides are applied, insecticide effectiveness must be evaluated cautiously, especially when basic decisions hinge on the presence of dead adults or adults collected in pitfall or pheromone traps (Toews et al 2009).…”