Effect of Low Oxygen Atmospheres on Mortality of Red and Confused Flour Beetles1

Abstract

Exposure to a generated low O2 atmosphere required to kill 50 and 95% of developing confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin DuVal, and red flour beetle, T. castaneum (Herbst), indicated that young larvae and adult stages were the most susceptible; pupae and eggs midway through development were the most tolerant. At 27°C, times of exposure for 95% mortality of the most tolerant ages of pupae were ca. 53 h for 3-day-old pupae of T. confusum and 46 h for 2-day-old pupae of T. castaneum . At 18°C, significantly longer exposures were required to kill developing stages, particularly 3 day old eggs of T. confusum (LT95 132 h) and 2 day old pupae of T. castaneum (LT95 113 h).