DOI: 10.36347/sjavs.2015.v02i01.008

Pages: 38-49

The lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica (Fab.) is a cosmopolitan pest feeding on wide varieties of food produce attacking sound and wholesome grains. Management of this insect in storage using chemicals may lead to insecticide residues in grains and insecticide resistance development in insect. The search for alternative insect pest control methods and materials have therefore become essential however, understanding of the biology of this pest is one of the means through which the control of this insect will be easily achieved. Effects of plant product such as Azadirachtin indica, fumigant toxicity of essential plant oils, treatment with combination of different protectants as well as treatment of grains with Pirimiphos-methyl synergized, Pirimiphos-methyl plus synergized pyrethrins and combination of two or more formulations of DEs efficacy in the control of R. dominica are discussed. This review has also shown that botanical insecticide alone and in combination with synthetic insecticides is effective in the control of R. dominica. The review has shown that synthetic insecticides used at the proper doses could be a better option against the R. dominica than most botanicals so far tested in various control measures against most stored grain pests. The processes of obtaining botanicals through the raw materials can be available, cheap to obtain but difficult to process in quantities that can reasonably be used in large scale storage facilities like silos and ware-houses of thousands of tonnes capacity.