Adults of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), the red flour beetle, and Tribolium confusum (du Val), the confused flour beetle, were exposed to kaolinite-based particle film dusts. When beetles were continuously exposed to the hydrophobic particle film M-96-018 at the rate of 0.1–0.5mg/cm, all the T. castaneum at 0.1mg/cm were dead after 3 days, but 40713.8% of the exposed T. confusum were still aliv...

The flour beetles have long been known to be among the more serious pests of flour, meal, and other cereal products. Numerous references in the literature give ample evidence of their importance as destroyers of these foodstuffs. However, owing probably to the rather long adult life of these insects and the difficulties in observing the immature stages, no thorough work has been done on their l...

The following new gregarine taxa are described from larvae of flour beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): Awrygregarina billmani, n. gen., n. sp., from Tribolium brevicornis; Gregarina cloptoni, n. sp., from Tribolium freemani; Gregarina confusa, n. sp., from Tribolilum confusum; and Gregarina palori, n. sp., from Palorus subdepressus. In addition, the description of Gregarina minuta Ishii, 1914...

Larval and adult Tribolium confusum were tested in flour and sand substrates at various relative humidities, ranging from 10% to 90%. Both life stages preferred a flour environment of from 10% to 50% relative humidity. In sand, however, the insects selected more humid environments. Investigations of survival in sand, flour, and air environments indicated that two factors may be operating in the...

Larval and adult Tribolium confusum were tested in flour and sand substrates at various relative humidities, ranging from 10% to 90%. Both life stages preferred a flour environment of from 10% to 50% relative humidity. In sand, however, the insects selected more humid environments. Investigations of survival in sand, flour, and air environments indicated that two factors may be operating in the...

The hypothesis that a component of genetic variation for polygenic fitness traits is maintained by environmental heterogeneity was tested using an experimental system involving two species of flour beetles, Tribolium castaneum and T. confusum. Replicated populations of each species from a number of environmental treatments were analyzed for various fitness components following almost 60 generat...

Effects of age, sex, presence or absence of food, mating status, quantity of food, and food deprivation on rate of and time of flight initiation of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), were determined. Flight initiation declined with increasing age in both presence and absence of food. However, flight initiation was lower when food was present in the flight chambers than in the a...

The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) has had a long association with human stored food and can be a major pest in anthropogenic structures used for the processing and storage of grain-based products. Anthropogenic structures are fragmented landscapes characterized by spatially and temporally patchy resources. Here we investigate the ability of female T....