According to calculations by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), losses in the final product during storage amount to approximately 17% of global production (10% from insects and approximately 7% from mites, rodents and diseases).

The quantities consumed by insects in grain storage and crops could prevent famines in developing countries.

It has been calculated that adult insects and larvae of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera can devour in one week an amount of product that is up to multiple times their weight.

In addition to quantitative losses, insect and mite infestations can also create health problems for consumers of these products, such as allergic reactions.

In terms of the extent of damage, we distinguish between very harmful insects that must be dealt with immediately, and less harmful ones for which we have more time.

The former are characterized by rapid spread, infestation of many seeds by one individual and many generations/year. The latter have slow spread, concentration in a few places, few generations, infesting few seeds per individual and only already infested produce.

It is obvious that combating these insects is an imperative. We can classify them in various ways depending on their characteristics, family or economic importance.

Some insects attack exclusively fruits of a specific species or family, such as the beetles of the family Bruchidae that attack only legumes.

Other insects, such as those of the genus Ephestia, attack a variety of stored products such as flour, cereals, figs, raisins, tobacco, and cocoa.

Some do not attack whole seeds but mainly broken or already infected ones (e.g. Tribolium confusum, Oryzaephilus surinamensis).

While others feed and complete their life cycle within a single seed (e.g. Sitophilus granarius).

Almost all lepidopterans form silken pouches or “food shelters” where they infest many seeds (Ephestia kuhniella, Pyralis farinalis, Corcyca cephalonica, etc.).

For most insects there are temperature and humidity thresholds for reproduction/growth. Their reproduction rate is directly related to these factors in the product/store.

In general, temperatures <21°C have a negative effect, while >35°C make their survival problematic (with exceptions such as Lasioderma serricorne, Trogoderma granarium, Tribolium confusum, etc.). Above 38°C, most cannot survive.

Regarding humidity, most prefer dry products (e.g. Tribolium), while others require humidity >8% (e.g. Sitophilus sp) or >10% (e.g. Lasioderma, Ptinus).

From a taxonomic point of view, most belong to the order Coleoptera, followed by Lepidoptera, while there are also a few harmful mites.

Treatment

Pheromone control is currently one of the most important ways to detect and combat insects in a timely manner.

Pheromones are chemicals that insects release to communicate with each other, such as to attract mates or gather in groups. By using these pheromones in special traps, we can detect the presence of specific insect species in an area before they multiply and cause damage. This allows us to take control measures, such as chemical control, much earlier. However, pheromone traps are mainly used for monitoring rather than direct control, and they do not replace other insect control measures. There are other effective ways, such as traps with specialized food attractants and fumigation with gases such as phosphine, which kills insects at all stages of their development (egg-larva-chrysalis-adult).

The main species