ResearcH Entomology Information Sources A Review of Stored-Product David W. Hagstrum and Bhadriraju Subramanyam ABSTRACT multibillion Thedollar field grain, of stored-product food, and retail entomology industries each deals year with through insect theirpests feeding, of raw and product processed adulteration, cereals, customer pulses, seeds, complaints, spices, productdried fruit rejection and nuts, at andthe timeother of dry, sale, durable and cost commodities. associated withThese their pests management. cause significant The reductionquantitative in theand number qualitative of stored-prod losses to the- pests is making full use of the literature on stored-product insects more important. Use of nonchemical and reduced-risk pest uct entomologists at a time when regulations are reducing the number of chemicals available to manage stored-product insect management methods requires a greater understanding of pest biology, behavior, ecology, and susceptibility to pest management methods. Stored-product entomology courses have been or are currently offered at land grant universities in four states in the United States and in at least nine other countries. Stored-product and urban entomology books cover the largest total numbers of stored-product insect species (100–160 and 24–120, respectively); economic entomology books (17–34), and popular articles or extension Web sites (29–52) cover fewer numbers of stored-product insect species. A review of 582 popular articles, 182 extension bulletins, and 226 extension Web sites showed that some aspects of stored-product entomology are covered better than others. For example, articles and Web sites on trapping (4.6%) and detection (3.3%) were more common than those on ofsampling an insect commodities pest management (0.6%). program, Natural yetenemies sources and of biological insect infestations control together were the were subject the of subjects only 1.2% of only of articles 2.6% ofand articles Web sites. and Web sites. Locating and eliminating the source populations may be one of the least expensive and most productive components Insect biology is often oversimplified in popular articles and Web sites; for example, developmental times are often characterized by a single number giving the typical number of days required to complete development from egg to adult, instead of describing how developmental times vary with temperature. Literature is available on the effects of temperature and other environmental factors on the developmental times of 106 species of stored-product insects. This article provides insights into the extent to which stored-product insects are covered in entomology books, entomology courses, popular articles, and extension bulletins and Web sites. Stored-product entomology books and courses are important because the coverage of stored-product insects is limited in urban and other entomology books and courses. In addition to failing to provide training on managing stored-product productinsect pests, insects the inlimited entomology coverage books of stored-product and courses, popular insects inliterature, many entomology and Web sites books to suggestsmeet the topest students management that they needs are of of less the grain,economic food importance processing, than retail, is andthe case. pest Wemanagement hope that industries.this paper will encourage and facilitate more extensive coverage of stored- Keywords: stored-product insects, popular articles, extension bulletins, Web sites tored-product entomology emphasizes insect pests of raw and processed cereals, pulses, seeds, spices, dried fruit and nuts, and other dry, durable commodities. These pests cause entomology books, however, often provide more information on S fabric, library, and museum pests than stored-product pests. Several - lar grain, food, and retail industries each year through their feeding, agriculturaluniversities entomology,offer courses or in applied stored-product entomology or courses,urban entomology, and seed productsignificant adulteration, quantitative customerand qualitative complaints, losses to product the multibillion rejection dol at technologyand stored-product courses. Althoughinsects may many be popular briefly coveredarticles and in economic, extension the time of sale, and cost associated with their management. Urban bulletins or Web sites are available for stored-product insects, many Disclaimer for first page. - This paper reports research results only. Mention of a proprietary aspects of stored-product insect biology are not covered adequately. product name does not constitute an endorsement for its use by Kansas insectsInterceptions and the of types stored-product of commodities insects infested. during quarantine inspec tionsRecently, provide the information number of onstored-product the distribution entomologists of stored-product has de- State University. 174 American Entomologist • Fall 2009 clined in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, year. We searched Web sites for the land grant colleges in the United and many other countries as a result of the closing of research insti- States for urban entomology courses and contacted instructors by tutions and a shift from commodity-oriented positions to discipline- e-mail for more information about their courses. We searched the table of contents for the trade magazine Pest Control, and Agricultural Research, a publication from USDA highlighting research by USDA tooriented manage positions. stored-product At the insectsame time,pests. pesticide Therefore, and managing environmental stored- scientists, for articles about stored-product insects. Regular columns regulationsproduct insect have pests reduced is becoming the number more of of chemicals a challenge. that Full are use available of the on stored-product insects by Linda Mason in Grain Journal, a trade literature on stored-product insects will be increasingly important magazine for the grain industry, and Bhadriraju Subramanyam in if the number of stored-product entomologists continues to decline, Milling Journal, a trade magazine for the milling industry, were also because management of insects using reduced-risk products and - considered. A literature search was done to find published extension nonchemicalIn 2006, wemethods described requires many more published knowledge stored-product and training in ento pest- insects.bulletins. These Specific were key often words listed were under used storedin various grain, internet kitchen, search pantry, en biology, behavior, ecology, and pest susceptibility to IPM methods. ginesor household to find Web pests. sites Extension with extension bulletins information or Web sites,on stored-product and popular articles from 55 other trade journals in our bibliographic database stored-productmology books, entomologyreviews, and written conference between proceedings 1951 and (Hagstrum 2006, and were also considered. We categorized all of these popular articles, and Subramanyam 2006), including 45 books and 13 reviews on and extension bulletins or Web sites by subject. industry21 conference Web sites proceedings where information published on between stored-product 1976 andprotection 2003. Urban and Other Entomology Books Fields and Maier (1999) summarized government, university, and We compared the numbers of insect species most commonly in- - cluded in urban entomology books with those included in economic is available. Web sites are increasingly important as a quick source of thatinformation. use of the Mankin Florida (2005) Web site showed “Feature that Creatures,” Web pages which with the includes high Pest Control and at extension Web est information content were accessed most frequently. He reported sitesor stored-product are also included entomology in Table 1. Thebooks two (Table stored-product 1). The numbersentomology of January 2002 and December 2004. booksspecies included covered 100in the and articles 160 species in and 24–120 species were in- severalIn this stored-product article, we expand insect the species, discussion increased of stored-product 6.3-fold between ento- included in the economic entomology books. The popular articles - cluded in the nine urban entomology books. Only 16–30 species were tomologymology information books, stored-product sources covered and urbanby Fields entomology and Maier courses, (1999) and Hagstrumpopular articles and Subramanyam in trade journals, (2006) extension to include bulletins, urban and and extension other en inand stored-product extension Web entomology sites reported books, 30 and and 52 economic species, respectively.entomology Urban entomology books included 24–61Pest control of the magazine species covered articles Web sites. The available information sources are too numerous to ofbooks these included species. 16–30 of these species. be covered in a single paper, but we examined 29 entomology books included 30 of these species, and extension Web sites included 40 with some information on stored-product insects, 27 stored-product entomology books because they primarily focus on urban pests such entomology courses, 582 popular articles, 182 extension bulletins, as ants,The coverageroaches, and of stored-product wood-boring insects. insects The is often nine limited urban entomol in urban- and 226international extension journalsWeb sites. are We referenced excluded scientific in books journals and conference because ogy books together included 65 of the species and 19 of the families various aspects of stored-product entomology published in