fumigant toxicity of various doses of essential oils (185.2, 370.4, 555.5, 740.7, 925.4, 1111.1, and 1296.3 µl/l water) from five officinal plants, including rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis), lavender (lavandula vera), fennel (foeniculum vulgare), tarragon (artemisia dracunculus)and summer savory (satureja hortensis)on two stored products pests, cowpea weevil (callosobruchus maculatus) and red...

The insecticidal effect of Temprid, a formulation that contains beta-cyfluthrin and imidacloprid, was tested on concrete for control of seven stored-product insect species: the rusty grain beetle, Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens); the sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.); the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst); the confused flour beetle, T. confusum Jacquelin d...

The efficacy of diatomaceous earth (DE) to control stored-products Coleoptera on stored grain was examined against several populations of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). Four commercially available DE formulations were tested: INSECTO, Perma-GuardTM, Protect-It and the diatomite used for the production of Dryacide, each at six concentrations (100-1000 ppm). A great variation...

Cyperus articulatus is an insect repellant plant commonly found in Northern Nigeria and used traditionally in pest control. The light petroleum and methanol extracts of the plant's rhizome were evaluated against Tribolium casteneum Hbst (the red flour beetle) using standard techniques. The methanol extract showed more antifeedant property than the light petroleum extract, while both the extract...

A recent study reveals specific functions of Hox3/zerknüllt (zen) in the extraembryonic and embryonic primordia of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. The results shed light on the functional evolution of bicoid, a zen paralogue of higher flies, which determines anterior body parts.

The consequences of pearling and cutting (barley Hordeum vulgare L.), and roasting and cutting (buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum Möench) on the development and food consumption of the confused flour beetle Tribolium confusum Duv. were studied. The factors affecting the increase in the T. confusum population, and food consumption effectiveness (the proportion of wasted food in the whole amount of ...

Evidence from Drosophila suggests that Hox genes not only specify regional identity, but have the additional function of repressing antennal development within their normal domains. This is dramatically demonstrated by a series of Hox mutants in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, and is likely an ancient function of Hox genes in insects.

The confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is a stored-product pest that contaminates a wide range of food products, from flour and cereals to spices. The insect reduces food quality and is responsible for large economic losses every year. Although several methods for detection of stored-product pests are common and widely used, they are time-cons...

A recent paper in BMC Biology reports the first large-scale insertional mutagenesis screen in a non-drosophilid insect, the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. This screen marks the beginning of a non-biased, 'forward genetics' approach to the study of genetic mechanisms operating in Tribolium.

There is a great demand for safe and effective alternative fumigants to replace methyl bromide and other toxic fumigants for postharvest pest control. Nitric oxide, a common signal molecule in biological systems, was found to be effective and safe to control insects under ultralow oxygen conditions. Four insect species including western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thys...