Survey of dermestid beetles using UV-light traps in two food industry facilities in the Czech Republic: One year field study

Abstract

There is a growing interest in stored product Dermestidae species due to their capacity to damage and contaminate stored products of animal and vegetable origin. Limited published information is available on surveys of these pests in museums, grain commodity storage facilities, and mills, with a noticeable absence of surveys in the food industry. Notably, information on dermestid monitoring using a colour or UV light sticky traps, which are required as part of international food safety standards and ISO pest control procedures for food facilities, is lacking. This study represents the first report on dermestid surveys conducted in a beverage and a food packaging facility premises using traps that combine UV light with yellow sticky plates in central Europe. A total of 1031 dermestid beetle individuals were captured in the two facilities during a one-year survey period. During the sampling period, there was a seasonal trend with the maximum captured individuals from spring to early autumn, and no individuals during winter. These population fluctuations followed a similar pattern in the two facilities. In total, 13 species belonging to five genera were identified. The highest cumulative captures were found for Reesa vespulae and Anthrenus verbasci found in both facilities, followed by Trogoderma glabrum, which occurred in high numbers in the food packaging facility. Our data indicate that R. vespulae (an invasive species) is attracted to UV light + yellow traps, and its high frequency and abundance suggest that since its first isolated detection in the Czech Republic in 1987, it has proven to be a significantly spreading pest species.