Document Type : Articles
Authors
1 Iraqi Ministry of Commerce, Baghdad, Iraq
2 2University of Balamand Faculty of Sciences & Lebanese University Faculty of Sciences and Public Health. Beirut, Lebanon
3 State key laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
Abstract
The red flour beetle [Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797)] is a major secondary pest of stored wheat and flour, posing significant threats to both quantity and quality. In this study, we evaluated the effects of natural physical control methods, specifically temperature and humidity, on the larvae and adults of T. castaneum. A range of low temperatures (9, 11, 13, 15, and 17 °C) was tested in comparison to a warm control (31 °C), along with the use of Diatomaceous Earth (DE) and coarse salt (NaCl) to reduce ambient humidity in storage environments over five days. Results showed that DE and NaCl were particularly effective under cool conditions, with up to 80% mortality observed at 9 °C on the first day and complete mortality (100%) by day five. This preliminary study represents the first of its kind on Iraqi populations of T. castaneum, and offers promising insight for developing low-cost, sustainable and eco-friendly strategies for stored-product pest control.
Keywords
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