Interactive Activity of Insect Species in Warehouses

The experiment was conducted to identify the important determinants of spatial control of storehouse insect species, including competitive ability, in addition to the environmental factor, which is also one of the determining factors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the competitive ability of Trogoderma granarium, Tribolium castaneum, and Oryzaephilus surinamensis using a direct competition method at different temperatures (35 °C, 25 °C, and 40 °C) during storage periods of 2, 4, and 6 months. This resulted in the inability of T. castaneum to displace the competing species under conditions of competition between the three species at 25 and 35°C and at all time periods. T. granarium showed a very high population density at 40°C in all time periods, as the number of insects reached 312, 372, and 421, respectively. It was able, with T. castaneum, to displace O. surinamensis at 40°C and reduce its number at 35°C. It was also proven that T. granarium was able to outperform and compete other insect species on products stored at 40°C, whereas at 25°C, it decreased to 8 insects. Its presence is limited to the dormant egg stage, which hatches when conditions change, causing population explosion. It also appeared that temperatures of 25 °C and 35°C were favorable for T. castaneum, and were dominant. The storage period is of great importance in determining the dominant species.