Control of temperature to suppress the population of Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera, Bostrichidae) in a grain silo prototype

This note presents some results from laboratory experiments that were conducted to characterize the influence of temperature in the mortality of adults of the insect known as lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.). The insects were separated into strains and were appropriately immersed into a mass of wheat, and the infested wheat was stored in a silo bin of small dimensions with control of temperature. Our experiments indicates that the control of temperature can be used as a successful tool to increase the mortality of R. dominica in grain silos. The paper also describes the construction of the electrical device that implements the control of temperature in the proposed grain silo prototype.