Responses of Sitophilus oryzae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) to traps baited with pheromones and food volatiles

The behavioural responses of two species of stored-product beetles, Sitophilus oryzae and Tribolium confusum, to certain stimuli were studied in laboratory choice tests. With one species present, S. oryzae and T. confusum adults were equally attracted to traps baited with the aggregation pheromone of the corresponding species and to traps baited with both pheromones. In contrast, when both species were present, neither S. oryzae nor T. confusum showed specific behavioural trend towards a stimulus. Traps baited with filter papers contaminated by live adults of both species were particularly attractive for S. oryzae, but not for T. confusum. Traps with 10 seeds damaged by S. oryzae were significantly more attractive than traps containing an oil lure or control traps for S. oryzae, but not for T. confusum. In conclusion, S. oryzae was much more sensitive to the stimuli tested than T. confusum.