Study of the performance of 15 stored product insects on canola sheds light on the polyphagy of stored product insects

Canola production is important to the Canadian economy, contributing $27 billion each year. The purpose of this study was to assess whether some common stored product pest species are able to develop from egg to adult on canola at 25 °C. Two tests were conducted. The first test assessed the ability of 10 species to develop onto seven treatments: (1) wheat flour with 5% brewer’s yeast (control), (2) whole canola at 8% MC (moisture content), (3) canola with 10% broken seed at 8% MC, (4) whole canola at 12% MC, (5) canola with 10% broken seed at 12% MC, (6) pure dockage and (7) dockage with broken canola seed. The second test assessed the ability of 13 species to develop onto three treatments: (1) whole canola seeds, (2) broken canola seeds, and (3) control (same as previous), all at 8% MC. Preliminary results show that Tribolium confusum, Tribolium castaneum, Tribolium madens, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Oryzaephilus mercator, Stegobium paniceum, Lasioderma serricorne, and Trogoderma variabile are able to develop on canola seeds. Presence of dockage, broken seeds, and different moisture contents had little or no effects. Oryzaephilus merator was the only species to produce significantly more offspring on canola than on the control diet.  Lasioderma serricorne, Stegobium paniceum, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Tribolium madens, and Cryptolestes ferrugineus displayed longer development time on canola than on control diet. Cryptolestes ferrugineus produced very few offspring on canola treatments. Dermestes maculatus and Ephestia kuehniella did not develop on canola.