Lower temperature thresholds for development, locomotion, flight, respiration and sound production of stored product insects and mites

Abstract: Low temperatures limit development and activity of all arthropods and therefore belong among primary nonchemical pest control method. The species-specific knowledge regarding lower temperature thresholds for flight and locomotion is important in order to establish limits of any trap-based pest-monitoring program. We compared published data on more than 100 species of storage arthropod pests and found that the low temperature thresholds for their development differed substantially not only among species, but also among orders. The low average development threshold (LDT) was reported for Acari (6.8 °C), followed by Lepidoptera (11.3 °C), Psocoptera (13.8 °C), and Coleoptera (14 °C). Temperature thresholds were scaled from the lowest to highest temperature as follows: the trap capture threshold, the lower development threshold, lower population threshold, and the lower trap capture threshold for flying pests.Important stored- and food-industry pest species were identified (e. g. several dermestids, tenebrionids, cockroaches, crickets, silverfishes, etc.) for which the lower temperature threshold is missing and therefore should be established in the future.