Low and high temperature treatments as alternatives to methyl bromide control of Trogoderma granarium (Coleoptera: Dermestidae)

The khapra beetle, Trogroderma granarium (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) is a pest of stored grain in north Africa, Turkey, Middle East, Pakistan and India. It is a quarantine insect for much of the rest of the world. It is often intercepted in USA and Canada in food imports. Khapra beetle can be controlled with methyl bromide, but this fumigant is restricted to quarantine and pre-shipment uses and is to be phased-out. Thus, there is an urgent need to find new methods of control, such as extreme temperatures. A number of factors increase tolerance to extreme temperatures; the most important of these are life stage, diapause and acclimation. Khapra beetle has a larval facultative diapause, an arrest in development that improves its survival under extreme environments. The survival for all life stages: eggs, larvae, diapausing larvae, acclimated larvae, acclimated-diapausing larvae, pupae, and adults at sub-zero temperatures and at high temperatures (40 to 60°C) will be presented.