Larval performance of Zophobas morio (F.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) on various diets enriched with post-distillation residues and essential oils of aromatic and medicinal plants.

The increasing demands for resources driven by the global population necessitate exploring sustainable alternatives for affordable animal protein over the use of traditional protein sources. Insects, with their high protein content, offer a promising solution, especially when reared on agricultural post-distillation residues for enhanced sustainability and cost-effectiveness. We assessed the development of Zophobas morio (F.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae on diets enriched with essential oils and post-distillation residues from Greek aromatic and medicinal plants. Two aromatic plant mixtures (A and B) were examined. Mixture A consisted of post-distillation residues, while Mixture B incorporated these residues along with essential oils. Insect rearing diets were enriched with different proportions (10, 20, and 30 %) of these mixtures, with wheat bran serving as the control. Enrichment positively influenced larval development without compromising survival. Larval weight remained unchanged with Mixture A, but improved with Mixture B. No adverse effects were detected in the case of the enriched diets, although higher concentrations of Mixture B prolonged development time.

Efficacy of deltamethrin and pirimiphos-methyl in proportionally layer-treated maize against the larger grain borer and the maize weevil.

Two insecticides (deltamethrin and pirimiphos-methyl) were evaluated in laboratory assays as grain protectants when applied as a total percentage of a maize mass to control adult Prostephanus truncatus and Sitophilus zeamais. All experiments were conducted at the University of Thessaly in Greece at 30°C and 65% RH under continuous darkness. Either insecticide was applied to 20 g of maize placed in a vial or to the upper one half, one fourth, or one-eighth layer of the maize, then insects were either added to the vials before or after the maize in a completely randomized block design CRBD with n = 9 replicates. Mortality, progeny production, and insect damaged kernels (IDK) were then evaluated for each vial. Insect introduction method (before or after) did not have any impact on any of the variables. Mortality was nearly 100% for all treatments for both insecticides for P. truncatus. Subsequently, progeny production and the number of insect damaged kernels were very low or zero for P. truncatus. Mortality of S. zeamais remained low across layer treatments for deltamethrin. However, S. zeamais was easily controlled by pirimiphos-methyl. The results of this laboratory study show that while deltamethrin and pirimiphos-methyl have some effectiveness as a layer treatment on a column of maize, efficacy will be dependent on the target species, and the depth of the treated layer, as well as the location on which the insects are present.

Comparison of different traps and attractants in 3 food processing facilities in Greece on the capture of stored product insects.

Certain lures are marketed toward particular pests or classes of pests, while others might be multi-species lures. Investigative aims for this study included both which trap was most sensitive and whether different combinations of traps and attractants were delivering novel information about the stored product insect community. Comparisons were made for all combinations of 3 commercial traps and 4 different attractants plus an untreated control on the capture of stored-product insects for 2 consecutive years in 3 food processing facilities in Central Greece. The traps used in the experiments were Dome Trap (Trécé Inc., USA), Wall Trap (Trécé) and Box Trap (Insects Limited, Ltd., USA). The attractants that were evaluated were 0.13 g of (i) PantryPatrol gel (Insects Limited), (ii) Storgard kairomone food attractant oil (Trécé), (iii) wheat germ (Honeyville, USA), and (iv) Dermestid tablet attractant (Insects Limited). The traps were inspected approximately every 15 days and rotated. A total of 34,000+ individuals were captured belonging to 26 families and at least 48 species. The results indicated that Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.) were the most abundant. Although there were noticeable differences among the different traps and attractants for specific species, all combinations provided similar information on population dynamics. Generally, Dome traps baited with either the oil or the gel, were found to be the most sensitive. The results of the present study demonstrate the importance of long-term trapping protocols, as a keystone in IPM-based control strategies in food processing facilities.

Susceptibility of Four Different Sorghum Varieties to Infestation by the Khapra Beetle.

In this study, we evaluated the susceptibility of four different sorghum varieties to infestation by the khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium Everts (Coleoptera: Dermestidae), as compared with wheat, which served as a 'control' commodity. In population growth assays, there was preference for population development on wheat compared to the different sorghum varieties. In contrast, there were no significant differences in total population development among the four varieties of sorghum. However, the proportion of immature stages (larvae, pupae) in relation to the adult stage varied significantly among the different varieties. Moreover, significant differences were noted among the commodities tested regarding the final weight decrease, as well as the amount of frass and kernel damage. Our study clearly demonstrates noticeable differences in the susceptibility of the varieties to T. granarium infestation. These results show that this species can develop on different varieties of sorghum, and variety selection should be further considered in a host-plant resistance-based management program for T. granarium.

Rearing Tenebrio molitor and Alphitobius diaperinus Larvae on Seed Cleaning Process Byproducts.

The exploitation of agricultural byproducts and organic side-streams as insect feeding substrates is advantageous for insect farming both from an economic and a sustainability perspective. In this context, in the present study we evaluated the suitability of ten byproducts of the cereal and legume seed cleaning process for the rearing of larvae of the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, and the lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus. Byproducts were offered singly to 20 T. molitor and 50 A. diaperinus larvae with provision of carrots as moisture source. After four weeks of undisturbed development, larval weight and survival was evaluated biweekly until pupation. Feed utilization and economic feasibility parameters were determined for each byproduct at the end of the bioassays. Our results show the suitability of several of the byproducts tested for the rearing of T. molitor and A. diaperinus larvae. The best results though among the byproducts tested in terms of larval growth and survival, development time and feed utilization were obtained with larvae fed with lupin and triticale byproducts, which efficiently supported complete larval development. The results of our study aim to boost the integration of circular economy strategies with insect farming practices.

Comparative Capture of Trogoderma granarium (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) and T. variabile in Floor Traps in Single Species Releases With Previously Captured Conspecific or Heterospecific Individuals.

In the present work, a series of tests were performed to examine the effect of previously captured adults in floor traps, on the captures of Τrogoderma granarium Everts and T. variabile Ballion, in single species releases. In a first series of tests, a single trap with kairomone oil and dead adults of single or both species was placed in a plastic container, which was used as the release arena. Subsequently, adults of both species were separately released in the arena, and the adult capture was recorded 24 h later. In a second series of trials, two traps were placed in the same arena, containing different numbers of prior seeded adults, and adult capture was similarly recorded. For T. granarium, in all cases, more adults were found inside the trap than under the trap or on the trap walls. In contrast, for T. variabile, most adults were recorded on the trap walls. In general, T. variabile had a stronger response to the traps than T. granarium. This work illustrates that previous captures of either species do not negatively affect captures of new live adults and may tend to enhance captures in some cases. This has important implications for the use of traps for the biosureveillance of these two important dermestid species.