لخّصلي

Wheat, Triticum aestivum, is the second most important food crop; it contributes about 25% from the total grain production and is part of daily human diet.The use of gaseous synthetic insecticides and fumigants, for controling this kind of insect has led to problems such as ozone depletion, environmental pollution, increasing costs of application, pest resurgence and resistance and hazard effects on non-target organisms in addition to direct toxicity to users (Jembere et al., 1995; Okonkwo and Okoye, 1996).(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) considered as the most widespread and destructive pests of stored products, feeding on different stored-grain and grain products and they cause both qualitative and quantitative damage to various types of grains (Aitken, 1975; Via, 1999; Weston &Rattlingourd, 2000 and Padin, 2002).The annual loss in wheat in Egypt due to stored insects is estimated as equivalent to 500000 tons of which 12% is caused by the rice weevil alone (Ministry of agriculture and land reclamation report, Egypt, 2007; Massoud et al., 2018 ).In developing countries stored-grain insects cause a huge losses of stored-grain products, amounting to 20-30% in the tropical regions and 5-10% loss in temperate regions (Nakakita, 1998).Red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), and rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L).

Wheat, Triticum aestivum, is the second most important food crop; it contributes about 25% from the total grain production and is part of daily human diet. Wheat production, in 2013 was 713 million tons of the worlds, making it the third most after maize (1,016 million tons) and rice (745 million tons) (FAOStat, 2015). Therefore, much effort should be made towards sustainable production of wheat and reducing the use of chemical pesticides to increase its quality (Shewry, 2009).

One of the most significant contributors to the global food crisis is grain loss during storage mainly caused by pest insects. In developing countries stored-grain insects cause a huge losses of stored-grain products, amounting to 20–30% in the tropical regions and 5–10% loss in temperate regions (Nakakita, 1998). In Egypt, the weight loss of wheat grains resulting from insect injury is 35-55% (Ministry of agriculture and land reclamation, approved recommendations for the control of agricultural pests book, Egypt, 2018). The annual loss in wheat in Egypt due to stored insects is estimated as equivalent to 500000 tons of which 12% is caused by the rice weevil alone (Ministry of agriculture and land reclamation report, Egypt, 2007; Massoud et al., 2018 ). At the same time, the problem of continuous population growth is a major problem of food scarcity. Red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), and rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L). (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) considered as the most widespread and destructive pests of stored products, feeding on different stored-grain and grain products and they cause both qualitative and quantitative damage to various types of grains (Aitken, 1975; Via, 1999; Weston &Rattlingourd, 2000 and Padin, 2002). In warm areas they can breed throughout the year and live for two years or more, females during this time produce nearly 1,000 eggs (Pugazhvendon et al., 2009; Shukla et al., 2010).
The use of gaseous synthetic insecticides and fumigants, for controling this kind of insect has led to problems such as ozone depletion, environmental pollution, increasing costs of application, pest resurgence and resistance and hazard effects on non-target organisms in addition to direct toxicity to users (Jembere et al., 1995; Okonkwo and Okoye, 1996). Synthetic pesticides developed the Insect resistance and a harmful effect of their accumulation in the environment has created the need for natural and non-persistent insecticides. Currently, there are two main methods used for insect pest control: fumigation and grain protection by contact insecticides. Since some chemical insecticides can harm humans and environment, there is a global tendency to reduce their use by finding alternative eco-friendly approaches.