Abstract
A satisfactory quantitative laboratory method was developed for studying the feeding responses of the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin DuVal, to chemotactic stimuli. Adults of known age and nutritional state were allowed to choose between a treated and an untreated pith disc in a circular arena. The number of beetles aggregating on discs and the amount of feeding, determined photometrically, were the criteria of response. The influence of moisture on response required that substances be tested in a dry state. Elder pith in the form of thin discs met the requirements of a suitable substrate, namely dryness, cohesion, and chemosensory inertness. Feeding response was unaffected by sex ratio. There was no evidence to indicate that beetles imparted to discs any substance that might have influenced the frequency of visits by other beetles during a test. Flour beetles were sensitive to different concentrations of sucrose. They fed but did not aggregate on sucrose-treated discs.
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