Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 May 2012
The confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum J. du Val, is a cosmopolitan pest of stored products and is widely distributed in Canada, primarily in flour and feed mills. This insect prefers some grain products or cultivars to others (Loschiavo 1952) and seems to be attracted mainly by an olfactory response to certain fatty acids (Loschiavo 1965) and triglycerides (Starratt and Loschiavo 1972; Tamaki et al. 1971). Differential effects of diets on the rate of development of T. confusum are directly related to temperature, being greatest near the optimal temperature for development (Lamb and Loschiavo 1981). Crowding also affects development and size (Park 1938).