Hard red winter wheat was treated with pirimiphos-methyl at 4, 6 and 8 mg kg(-1), synergized pyrethrins at 0.38, 0.75, 1.13 and 1.5 mg kg(-1), and combinations of the two insecticides, to conduct laboratory bioassays against four beetle pests of stored grain, red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), rusty grain beetle Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens), lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dom...

Persistence of stored-product insects in hidden refugia and their subsequent movement into stored commodities resulting in product infestation contributes to their pest status and represents a potential target for biological control agents. Entomopathogenic nematodes have not been previously tested against stored-product insects in environments such as empty grain bins or food processing and wa...

Environmental temperature has important effects on the physiology and life history of ectothermic animals, including investment in the immune system and the infectious capacity of pathogens. Numerous studies have examined individual components of these complex systems, but little is known about how they integrate when animals are exposed to different temperatures. Here, we use the Indian meal m...

Microbes, combined with insects, convert organic waste into products of value. Resulting insects can be harvested and used as a high-quality protein resource, while the residues fertiliser. Microbes play an important role in conversion process. This review’s aim was focused on how microbes promote such black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.), house (Musca domestica waxworm (Plodia interpunctel...

A computer model for simulating population dynamics of Lyctocoris campestris (F.), a predator of stored-product insects, was developed using data from the literature and newly collected data for adult longevity and fecundity. Immature development time and survival, adult longevity, fecundity, and cannibalism were simulated. The model was validated at ambient environmental conditions during thre...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE The Indianmeal moth Plodia interpunctella is a highly prevalent food pest in human dwellings, and has been shown to contain a number of allergens. So far, only one of these, the arginine kinase (Plo i 1) has been identified. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to identify further allergens and characterise these in comparison to Plo i 1. METHOD A cDNA library from whole...

Males and females experience differences in gene dose for loci in the nonrecombining region of heteromorphic sex chromosomes. If not compensated, this leads to expression imbalances, with the homogametic sex on average exhibiting greater expression due to the doubled gene dose. Many organisms with heteromorphic sex chromosomes display global dosage compensation mechanisms, which equalize gene e...