Commodity feeders of grain stored pest

Insects infesting stored grain feed and live in a number of ways, including: commodity feeders, fungal feeders, predators, parasitoids, foragers and accidentals, and scavengers.

These feed directly in commodities and can be conveniently divided into primary pests and secondary pests. Commodity feeders feed directly on commodities and can be conveniently divided into primary pests, those that attack intact commodities and secondary pests, which require the commodity to be damaged before they can attack it.

In reality, each pest requires a different level of damage before it can survive on a commodity. For some species this level is minimal, but for others it may be substantial.

Primary pest tend to have a more restricted host range than secondary pests. Commodities accumulate damage from harvesting, handling, pest attack and processing, which increases the risk of attack from secondary pests.

Secondary pests dominate in milled products such as flour, and processed and manufactured food products.

Commodities vary in their susceptibility to attack. Commodities that contain toxins had antifeedant chemicals, tend to have fewer and more specific pests, like the bruchid beetles that have evolved to attack pulses.
Commodity feeders of grain stored pest