Eight pet stores in Kansas, USA were sampled between February and August 2002, using traps baited with food and pheromone lures for capturing multiple species of beetle adults. Thirty traps were arranged in a grid pattern in each store and were checked every 2-3 weeks. The most common and abundant beetles captured in traps in all eight stores were the Sitophilus spp. (rice, granary and maize weevils). The rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae, was the most common and predominant of the three weevils. Trap capture data from each store were used to calculate mean numbers of Sitophilus spp. trapped per week and associated variance and weekly presence or absence of adults. About 60% of the weekly trap capture data from the 8 stores were used for developing fixed precision and binomial sequential sampling plans and the other 40% of the data were used for testing the performance of these plans through computer simulations using the "Resampling for Validation of Sampling Plans" software. Green's fixed precision sampling plan was used for estimating Sitophilus spp. density of 0.62 insects trapped per week that corresponded with 50% of infested traps. The actual precision and sample sizes needed for estimating density at the fixed precision levels of 0.25, 0.35 and 0.50 were determined. Wald's sequential probability ratio test plan and a fixed sample size binomial plan were developed to classify infestation level with respect to an infestation threshold (50% of infested traps). Operating characteristic and average sample number curves generated using the validation data sets were used to gauge performance of the binomial plan. In addition, the actual errors in classifying infestation levels were also determined. The development, performance and utility of these sampling plans in retail stores are discussed.

Stored-product insect infestations in retail pet stores cost pet food manufacturers millions of dollars annually, but there are no studies documenting the effectiveness of pest management practices in pet stores. Our study was designed to determine species associated with eight pet stores in Kansas, USA, and to evaluate the impact of chemical and non-chemical intervention on insect populations. Food and pheromone-baited traps were used to estimate numbers of stored-product beetles and the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella. Traps were placed in a grid pattern in each store, and trap catches were recorded every 1-3 weeks. Spatial analyses of trap catch data were used for monitoring infestations and for evaluating effectiveness of pest management measures. Measures used against pests included sanitation (sweeping, vacuuming and/or discarding infested products) or sanitation in combination with an insect growth regulator, hydroprene 9% EC, or a pyrethroid, cyfluthrin 20 WP. Each treatment (sanitation or sanitation plus pesticide application) was replicated in two stores. Two stores that were left untreated served as the control. Traps in the stores captured a total of 41 266 adults and 3032 larvae of 36 insect species belonging to 23 families and 7 orders. Infestations were generally associated with birdseed, small-animal foods, or spilled food. Sanitation in conjunction with hydroprene or cyfluthrin applications on targeted floor areas reduced beetle numbers but did not greatly affect Indian meal moth numbers. The significance of these findings is discussed.