8 hanging Delta traps (Trece Inc.) for Lepidoptera. Οil (Storgard Oil, Trece Inc.) was used as CEUR Workshop Proceedings (CEUR-WS.org)
In the present study, the seasonal distribution of stored product insects was recorded, spatially visualized, and evaluated in a feed production industry in Northern Greece. The installation of the trapping network was established in July 2021 and the monitoring lasted from August 2021 until April 2022. A total of 30 Dome traps (Trece Inc.) were installed for crawling insects and an attractive agent at Dome traps, while for the Delta traps pheromone was used for Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and Ephestia spp. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). All insect samples taken were transferred to the Laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology for counting and identification. Furthermore, using relevant Python libraries, the data were spatially visualized based on the building floor plan. This process enabled the identification of zones/areas in the building with the higher insect activity. The results showed that in the summer months the captures were significantly higher than in the winter months, with the highest number of insects being recorded on 02/09/21 (999 individuals). The dominant stored product species for the summer period were certain stored product moths, including P. interpunctella and the genus Ephestia spp., as well as the tobacco beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae). In contrast, during the winter months the populations of the aforementioned species were decreased significantly and increased the species Sitophilus granarius (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Silvanidae). The insect monitoring and the spatial visualization will continue for another year in order to assess the levels of insect populations and therefore to apply focused solutions depending on the insect species and the area of infestation. stored product insects, feed, traps, seasonal distribution, visualization
This research has been co‐financed by the European Union and Greek national funds through the action “Investment Innovation Plans”, in the framework of the Operational Program “Central Macedonia” (project code: ΚΜΡ6-0077613), as part of the “PrecisionFEEDProtect: Precision protection of stored feed from entomological infestations using innovative technologies” project.