Insect pests in hulled wheat warehouses of central-southern Italy and field occurrence of Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier).

Abstract

AbstractResults of studies carried out from 1998 to 2002 on stored insect pests of hulled wheat (Triticum dicoccum, T. monococcum, and T. spelta) in traditional crop areas of Central-Southern Italy (Molise and Basilicata regions) were reported. Surveys were carried out in about 50 warehouses of small farms and food factories. Stored hulled wheat revealed infestations of about 20 insect pests. Trogium pulsatorium, Ephestia elutella, Plodia interpunctella, Sitotroga cerealella, Cryptolestes ferrugineus, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Rhyzopertha dominica, Sitophilus granarius, Sitophilus oryzae, and Tribolium castaneum were most frequently found. Among these species the ecology of S. cerealella has been studied. Using pheromone traps (delta types) baited with 1 mg of Z7E11-16Ac, observations of adult flights in fields and in warehouses of hulled wheat were carried out. According to our research, infestations of the Angoumois grain moth can occur during both preharvest and postharvest storage. Results obtained in the fields studied showed various levels of infestation with different population abundances. The highest numbers of S. cerealella males were trapped in two fields located in the same area of the Molise region, where there are many traditional warehouses; the presence of adult males was also recorded after harvesting, until the beginning of September. In the warehouses containing the hulled wheat harvested in this area, males of Angoumois grain moths were also collected until autumn and again in the following spring. S. cerealella activity suggests adult dispersal from the warehouses to hulled wheat fields during the Summer season.