Infestation of a botanicals warehouse by Plodia interpunctella and Ephestia elutella (Lepidoptera : Pyralidae)

摘要

Botanicals are crude vegetable medicinals, including roots, leaves, bark, or other plant materials used to produce pharmaceuticals, herbal supplements, and other products. Dried botanicals often become infested with insects and mites during storage, but little is known about these infestations. The objective of the present study was to characterize an infestation of stored botanicals by the Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella, and the tobacco moth, Ephestia elutella, in a North Carolina warehouse. The moth populations were monitored for one year with an array of pheromone-baited sticky traps. Spatial analysis of numbers captured showed broadly overlapping, but distinct distributions, suggesting that both species prefer roots but that P, interpunctella has a broader host range. Seasonal variation in rates of capture reflected the effect of temperature cycles on population growth and flight activity, and suggested that E. elutella populations may suffer less winter mortality or may recover more quickly than P. interpunctella.