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Abstract. The maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky), is a major pest of stored grain kernels. Irradiation is an established technique for controlling insects in stored grain and is a major stress factor affecting these insects. Since heat shock protein (hsp) genes respond to this stress, we proposed that hsps may be associated with irradiated stress tolerance in S. zeamais. The responses of the maize weevil to exposure to ultraviolet-C (UV-C) and microwave irradiation were assessed at four developmental stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. The results revealed that exposure to UV-C (254 nm, < 8 h) did not affect the survival of the maize weevils; however, Szhsp70, Szhsc70 and Szhsp90 mRNA levels signifi cantly increased during the fi rst 1 h of UV-C exposure. The median lethal time (LT 50 ) of exposure to microwave irradiation indicated that the adult stage was more tolerant of microwave irradiation than the other developmental stages. Microwave irradiation enhanced the expression of the three hsps, but the intensity of up-regulation differed among the three genes, with Szhsp70 the most highly up-regulated. Our experiments revealed that UV-C and microwave irradiation infl uenced the expression profi le of hsp genes in S. zeamais. At the tissue level, the gene responses to UV-C and microwave irradiation varied greatly in different tissues.

Platydema waterhousei is a beetle that infests the economically important Rishi mushroom. The toxic effects of four controlled atmospheres to each of the life stages of Platydema waterhousei were investigated. The atmospheres used were 100, 80, 60, and 0% CO 2 with N 2 making up the remainder. The atmosphere containing 80% CO 2 was more toxic to eggs than pure CO 2 and N 2 . Pure CO 2 was the most lethal to larvae, pupae, and adults. Pupae were the most resistant life stage to all treated gases. Adults were more sensitive than eggs and larvae in pure CO 2 and N 2 atmospheres. Adults as well as eggs were more susceptible than larvae when they were exposed to 60% CO 2 . Eggs were more sensitive than adults and larvae when they were held under 80% CO 2 . The best control of all life stages could be achieved by exposing to 80% CO 2 for 3 days or to 100% CO 2 for 4 days.