Description

Red flour beetle is one of the major insect pests of stored grain product in warm and tropical regions of the world. It is the most abundant and injurious pest in flour mills, bulks of grains, oil seeds, stored cereals and warehousing facilities. The life cycle requires 7 to 12 weeks. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a biological insecticide that makes it useful for pest control. It is naturally occurring bacterium common in soil throughout the world. B. thuringiensis acts by producing proteins (toxic crystal) that react with the cells of the gut lining of susceptible insects. Bacillus thuringiensis affected insects generally die from starvation, as the bacteria enter the insect's blood and reproduce within the insect; it is the reaction of the protein crystal that is lethal to the insect. The development of environment friendly insecticides like DDVP+Tetramethrin, having specificity to insects along with low toxicity to vertebrates, has captured worldwide attention of entomologists. Chemical like potassium chloride is very effective in controlling insect pests. Insecticidal plants have replaced them as they are more effective in crop rotation.