Survey on the Occurrence of Insect Pests in Stored Grains in Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala State

Abstract

To identify the species composition and relative abundance of insect pest in stored grains, a preliminary investigation was conducted by collecting grain samples from 16 grain merchant stores in Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala state. Insect pest collected during the study were pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis, cow pea beetle, C. maculatus, grain weevil, Sitophilus granarius, long headed flour beetle, Latheticus oryzae, rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae, red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica, saw toothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella. Tribolium castanaeum, Sitophilus oryzae, Rhizopertha dominica (32.25%, 24.51%, 21.91% respectively per 200 g sample) were the most abundant pest species in the grain samples.