THE DISTRIBUTION OF RHYZOPERTHA DOMINICA (F.) IN WESTERN CANADA

Abstract

Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (lesser grain borer, Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) is a major pest of stored grain in the United States, Australia, and most other warm regions of the world. It has rarely been detected in Canadian grain, until recently. To determine the distribution of/R. dominica in western Canada, Lindgren multiple-funnel traps baited with R. dominica aggregation pheromones were placed near grain elevators, feed mills, and farms. Rhyzopertha dominica was found flying outside grain-handling facilities in all Prairie Provinces in 1990 and 1991, with thousands collected in Manitoba, hundreds in Alberta, and less than 100 in Saskatchewan. A few R. dominica were caught in Vancouver and Thunder Bay. None were caught in the traps placed beside two grain elevators in southern Ontario. In Alberta and Saskatchewan, the locations with R. dominica were mainly in the south. In Manitoba, the total number of R. dominica caught at each location was higher in the south than in the north. Rhyzopertha dominica were caught as early as 15 May and as late as 18 September, with the peak numbers for a given location occurring between July and September. No difference in the total number of R. dominica caught per year was found among farms, feed mills, or grain elevators in 1990 or 1991. Sampling of stored grain on three farms showed that two of the eight bins sampled had R. dominica. The possible origins of the R. dominica (importation of infested grain, wind-borne migration from the United States, or an established Canadian population) are discussed.

Detection techniques for stored-product insects in grain

“…Environmental factors aVect trap catches. Temperature, rainfall, and wind speed and direction inXuence attractant release from lures and insect Xight (Fields, Van Loon, Dolinski, Harris, & Bunkholder, 1992). Loschiavo et al (1986) determined that many insects Xy and respond to semiochemicals only at certain time (dawn, midday, dusk, or night), and temperatures (10-15°C).…”

Distribution and Dispersal Behavior of <I>Trogoderma variabile</I> and <I>Plodia interpunctella</I> Outside a Food Processing Plant

“…Although it has been widely reported that many species of stored-product insects can be captured outside Cline 1989, 1991;Fields et al 1993;McGaughey 1994, Doud and, sometimes far from anthropogenic structures (Strong 1970, Cogburn and Vick 1981, Sinclair and Haddrell 1985, Vick et al 1987, the source and importance of these outside populations is not well understood. In this study, T. variabile and P. interpunctella males were captured in high numbers outside of a food facility.…”

“…Many species of stored-product pests are readily trapped outside grain storage and processing structures Cline 1989, 1991;Fields et al 1993;Dowdy and McGaughey 1994;Doud and Phillips 2000). For example, Doud and Phillips (2000) captured higher numbers of Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hü bner), outside a ßour mill and in the gallery above grain silos adjacent to the mill than inside the mill and speculated that moths may be moving from source populations associated with the silos into the mill.…”

More than a pest management tool — 45 years of practical experience with insect pheromones in stored-product and material protection

“…Some very well studied beetles allow for additional interpretations of outdoor trapping data. For instance, outdoor catches of the bostrichid beetle Rhyzopertha dominica in Canada, the USA, and Australia using the beetles aggregation pheromone in pheromone-baited traps revealed that the lesser grain borer may very well breed in natural forests and spread to uninfested grain storage facilities by flying long distances (Cogburn et al 1984, Fields et al 1993, Edde et al 2005, Edde & Phillips 2006a, Edde et al 2006, Toews et al 2006, Daglish et al 2010, Mahroof et al 2010. It was believed that the lesser grain borer is mainly a pest of the warmer regions of the world and would occur at least in Canada only with infested grain imports.…”