The behavioral response of stored product pests, Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) and T. castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) to moldy grain volatiles

Abstract

Producers lose 10-30% of crops during post-harvest storage, processing, and marketing each year to insects. Concurrently, there has been a worldwide increase in resistance to the most common fumigant, phosphine, there are fewer alternative fumigant options available to food facility managers, and consumers are demanding low insecticide alternatives. Thus, there is an increasing need to diversify IPM methods. One potential group of alternative attractants includes fungal volatiles, as they are known to attract insects, and are unique signals in food facilities that maintain strict sanitation standards. This study examined the behavioral responses of R. dominica and T. castaneum to moldy grain volatiles using a wind tunnel and a release-recapture assay.