The most destructive pests of grain products: Khapra beetle

Storing large quantities of food (cereal, sugar, etc.) causes all sorts problems. Beetles are a particular nuisance because they can hide themselves away in cracks and so avoid being got at.

One of the most dreaded dermestid beetles is the Khapra beetle. Khapra beetle has traditionally been regarded as one of the most important potential pests of stored products. It is frequently a pest in tropical and subtropical countries.

This small, brownish, inconspicuous-looking beetle probably originates from the Indian subcontinent. The Khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium) needs period at 30 °C, but localities with periods of over 20 °C may be at some risk and indoor temperature must be considered.

The Khapra beetles is a master of survival. It can endure starvation for years, hiding in the tiniest nooks and crannies, in crack behind peeling paint or scales of rust.

Khapra beetles may be baited by merely suspending large pieces of jute fabric on top of the infested grain.
The most destructive pests of grain products: Khapra beetle

Pest Type: Commodity feeders

Insects infesting stored grain feed and live in a number of ways, including:
*Commodity feeders
*Fungal feeders
*Predators
*Parasitoids
*Scavengers

Commodity feeders feed directly on commodities and can be conveniently divided into primary pests. Those that attack intact commodities and secondary pests, which require the commodity to be damaged before they can attack it.

In reality, each pest requires a different level of damage before it can survive on a commodity.

For some species this level is minimal, but for others it may be substantial.

Commodities accumulate damage from harvesting, handling, pest attack and processing, which increases the risk of attack from secondary pests.

Secondary pests dominate in milled products such a flour, and processed and manufactured food products.
Pest Type: Commodity feeders

Pest Type: Commodity feeders

Insects infesting stored grain feed and live in a number of ways, including:
*Commodity feeders
*Fungal feeders
*Predators
*Parasitoids
*Scavengers

Commodity feeders feed directly on commodities and can be conveniently divided into primary pests- those that attack intact commodities and secondary pests, which require the commodity to be damaged before they can attack it.

In reality, each pest requires a different level of damage before it can survive on a commodity.

For some species this level is minimal, but for others it may be substantial.

Commodities accumulate damage from harvesting, handling, pest attack and processing, which increases the risk of attack from secondary pests.

Secondary pests dominate in milled products such a flour, and processed and manufactured food products.
Pest Type: Commodity feeders

Wheat Plant Insects

Wheat Plants Insects
Numerous insects can attack wheat plants.

Hessian fly
Mayetiola destructor is a widespread pest. It can cause dwarfing of plants, reduction in tillering, increased winter injury and breaking of straw after ripening – in other words, many manifestations of lowered vitality can be observed in infected plants. Resistance in wheat to this pest is due either to antibiosis, in which the insect dies after feeding on the plant, or tolerance, in which the insect continues to feed but the plant compensates for the damage by growing more tillers.

Wheat stem sawfly
Cephus cinctus occurs in Canada and the US northward of Kansas. Damage results from breaking of infested stems and wheat with solid stems show only minor effects. Control efforts have been directed toward developing varieties with solid stems.

Cereal leaf beetle
Oulema melanopus causes widespread damage to small grains in many countries throughout the world. Larval and adult forms feed on the leaves, reducing grain yields or even killing the plant. Control efforts have included attempts to develop wheat varieties with characteristics which repel the insects.
Wheat Plants Insects