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ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #316514
Title: Evaluation of structural treatment efficacy against Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) using meta-analysis of multiple studies conducted in food facilities

Author
item Campbell, James - Jim
item BUCKMAN, KARRIE - Monsanto Corporation
item FIELDS, PAUL - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada
item SUBRAMANYAM, BHADRIRAJU - Kansas State University

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2015
Publication Date: 10/1/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/61710
Citation: Campbell, J.F., Buckman, K.A., Fields, P.G., Subramanyam, B. 2015. Evaluation of structural treatment efficacy against Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) using meta-analysis of multiple studies conducted in food facilities. Journal of Economic Entomology. 108(5):2125-2140. doi: 10.1093/jee/tov215.

Interpretive Summary: The phase out of methyl bromide for the treatment of structures where grain is milled and processed has triggered a need to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative structural treatments such as sulfuryl fluoride and heat to manage important pest insects like the red flour beetle and confused flour beetle. To compare the effectiveness of these different treatments the results from 111 treatments applied in 39 facilities were analyzed. Findings confirm that structural fumigations and heat treatments greatly reduce pest populations within food facilities, but there was significant variation in the efficacy of individual treatments. Generally, the different treatment types (sulfuryl fluoride, methyl bromide and heat) provided similar reductions in beetle captures using multiple measurements of beetle captures in traps. The novel application of meta-analysis to structural treatment efficacy assessment generated a robust estimate of overall treatment efficacy, provided insights into factors potentially impacting efficacy and identified data gaps that need additional data.

Technical Abstract: The phase out of methyl bromide for the treatment of structures where grain is milled and processed has triggered a need to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative structural treatments such as sulfuryl fluoride and heat. The red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum (Herbst)) (RFB) and confused flour beetle (T. confusum Jacquelin du Val) (CFB) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) are primary targets for structural treatments, and impact of treatments on these species was evaluated in this study. Efficacy was measured by comparing beetle captures in pheromone and kairomone baited traps immediately before and immediately after treatment. Studies were conducted primarily in commercial wheat mills and rice mills, with the treatments applied by commercial applicators. A meta-analysis approach was used to evaluate efficacy data collected from 111 treatments applied in 39 facilities. Findings confirm that structural fumigations and heat treatments greatly reduce pest populations within food facilities, but there was significant variation in the efficacy of individual treatments. Generally, the different treatment types (sulfuryl fluoride, methyl bromide and heat) provided similar reductions in beetle captures using multiple metrics of beetle activity. The novel application of meta-analysis to structural treatment efficacy assessment generated a robust estimate of overall treatment efficacy, provided insights into factors potentially impacting efficacy and identified data gaps that need additional data.