Abstract
The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val, are capable of exploiting any rip, tear, or defect in packaged food and infest the contents. Incorporating packaging materials with insecticides is a novel technological approach that is gaining interest as a preventative measure to deter packaging infestations. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of deltamethrin-incorporated packaging on T. castaneum and T. confusum adult fecundity. Treatment arenas consisted of deltamethrin-incorporated packaging secured to ~ 62 cm2 plastic Petri dishes. Ten male or female adults of either species were exposed on treated or untreated packaging for time intervals ranging from 0.67 to 168 h. Males and females were then cross-mated: One exposed male paired with one exposed female; exposed male with unexposed female; unexposed male with exposed female; and unexposed male with unexposed female. Pairs were held in a 7-dram vial for 7 days, removed, and vials held for emergence of F 1 adults. There were no progeny when mating pairs of T. castaneum male were exposed for ≥ 48 h, while 168 h of exposure was necessary to prevent progeny production of T. confusum mated pairs. T. castaneum was more susceptible compared to T. confusum. This study showed adult beetles are capable of recovering from knockdown and produce progeny, but long-term exposure to treated material inhibited the F 1 generation. Integrating deltamethrin-incorporated packaging material into an existing integrated pest management program could provide additional protection of packaged food products.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arthur FH (1997) Differential effectiveness of deltamethrin dust on plywood, concrete, and tile surfaces against three stored-product beetles. J Stored Prod Res 33:167–173
Arthur FH (2012) Lethal and sub-lethal effects from short-term exposure of Rhyzopertha dominica on wheat treated with Storicide II®. J Pest Sci 85:261–265
FAO (2011) Global food losses and food waste: extent, causes and prevention. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e00.pdf. Accessed 26 Sep 2017
FAO (2013) Insect damage: post-harvest operations. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. http://www.fao.org/3/a-av013e.pdf. Accessed 26 Sep 2017
Hagstrum DW, Klejdysz T, Subramanyam B, Nawrot J (2013) Atlas of stored-product insects and mites. American Association of Cereal Chemists, St. Paul
Harein P, Meronuck R (1995) Stored grain losses due to insects and molds and the importance of proper grain management. Stored Product Management, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service, pp 29–31. http://ctechcorporation.com/pdf/grainlos.pdf. Accessed 27 Sep 2017
Highland HA (1991) Protecting packages against insects. In: Gorham JR (ed) Ecology and management of food-industry pests. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Arlington, pp 345–356
Hou X, Fields P, Taylor W (2004) The effect of repellents on penetration into packaging by stored-product insects. J Stored Prod Res 10:47–54
Kavallieratos NG, Anthanassiou CG, Arthur FH (2015) Efficacy of deltamethrin against stored-product beetles at short exposure intervals or on the partially treated rice mass. J Econ Entomol 108:1416–1421
Kavallieratos NG, Athanassiou CG, Arthur FH (2017) Effectiveness of insecticide-incorporated bags to control stored-product beetles. J Stored Prod Res 70:18–24
Khatun R, Islam W, Mondal K (2010) Efficacy of cypermethrin, deltamethrin, and nimbicidine on fecundity and egg viability of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Univ J Zool Rejshahi Univ 29:23–28
Kim IH, Han J, Na JH, Chang PS, Chung MS, Park KH, Min SC (2013) Insect-resistant food packaging film development using cinnamon oil and microencapsulation technologies. J Food Sci 78:229–237
Narahashi T (1971) Mode of action of pyrethroids. Bull World Health Organ 44:337–345
Park T (1934) Observations on the general biology of the flour beetle, Tribolium confusum. Q Rev Biol 9:36–54
Paudyal S, Opit GP, Arthur FH, Bingham GV, Gautam SG (2016) Contact toxicity of deltamethrin against Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Sitophilus oryzae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) adults. J Econ Entomol 109:1936–1942
Paudyal S, Opit GP, Arthur FH, Bingham GV, Payton ME, Gautam SG, Noden B (2017) Effectiveness of the Zerofly® storage bag fabric against stored-product insects. J Stored Prod Res 73:87–97
SAS Institute Inc. (2012) SAS/STAT® 9.4 User’s Guide. SAS Institute Inc. Cary, NC, USA
Scheff DS, Subramanyam Bh, Arthur FH (2016) Effect of methoprene treated polymer packaging on fecundity, egg hatchability, and egg-to-adult emergence of Triboilum castaneum and Trogoderma variabile. J Stored Prod Res 69:227–234
Scheff DS, Subramanyam Bh, Arthur FH (2017) Susceptibility of Tribolium castaneum and Trogoderma variabile larvae and adults exposed to methoprene-treated woven packaging material. J Stored Prod Res 73:142–150
Wijayaratne LK, Fields PG, Arthur FH (2012) Residual efficacy of methoprene for control of Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae ad difference temperatures on varnished wood, concrete, and wheat. J Econ Entomol 105:718–725
Zar JH (2010) Biostatistical analysis, 5th edn. Pearson Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River
Acknowledgements
We thank Vestergaard Frandsen Inc. for providing the packaging materials used in this research study and for their financial support. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the US Department of Agriculture. The US Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by C.G. Athanassiou.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Scheff, D.S., Arthur, F.H. Fecundity of Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum adults after exposure to deltamethrin packaging. J Pest Sci 91, 717–725 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-017-0923-3
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-017-0923-3