Influence of Some Biological Control Measures on Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Abstract

Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) is a highly destructive pest that poses a significant threat to grains and their derived products, such as flour, on a global scale. In this study, the effects of two entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), namely Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, as well as the predator bug Xylocoris flavipes (Reuter), on T. castaneum were investigated. The results of the study demonstrated that B. bassiana exhibited greater toxicity towards the third larval instar of T. castaneum compared to M. anisopliae. Conversely, M. anisopliae displayed higher toxicity against the adult stage of the pest. Furthermore, when assessing the bioassay preference of X. flavipes for controlling different immature stages of T. castaneum, the egg stage was found to be the most preferred target. The preference of X. flavipes can be ranked in descending order as follows: eggs stage, third larval instar, and pupal stage. Additionally, it was observed that the predation of T. castaneum immatures by X. flavipes resulted in a significant reduction in the population of the pest's first generation. The findings suggest that B. bassiana, M. anisopliae, and X. flavipes demonstrate suppressive effects on the biology of T. castaneum. As a result, these eco-friendly agents have the potential to be incorporated into Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs as effective measures against this economically damaging insect pest.