Influence of temperature, gender, age, and mating status on cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorne (F.)) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) flight initiation

Abstract

The influence of temperature in combination with gender, age, and mating status was examined to determine minimum temperature and percent of cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.) that initiate flight in a laboratory flight chamber. Tests were conducted on temperatures between 17.5 °C and 37.5 °C at intervals of 2.5 °C. We found that flight initiation of L. serricorne is highly dependent on environmental temperature, gender, age and mating status of individuals. The minimum detectable temperature at which all categories of males (virgin young, virgin old, mated young and mated old) initiated flight was 22.5 °C, while virgin young, virgin old, mated young and mated old females were observed to initiate flight at 25, 22.5, 25, and 27.5 °C, respectively. Young virgin males and older virgin females had the highest percentage of flight initiation among all categories of their gender and thus the greatest probability of being detected. No flight initiation is predicted for males at temperatures below 19.7 °C, thus, environmental temperature should be strongly considered when interpreting pheromone monitoring programs in food storage.