Efficacy of audible sound waves in Inflicting Tissue Damage and Mortality in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Larvae

Physical control methods are preferred in post-harvest management of insect pests because chemical intervention is extremely hazardous. Use of audible sound waves in insect pest intervention is a novel idea which has not been popular hitherto. An attempt has been made in this study, to understand the mechanical impact of sine sound waves on red fl our beetle, Triboliumcastaneum (Herbst), a common secondary pest of fl our and other stored products. Last instar T. castaneum larvae (n = 50 and number of replicates = 4) were bombarded with 12 different frequencies of sine sound waves (900 to 2 000 Hz) by placing them directly on a matted polymer surface facilitating maximum sound absorption. The LD50 value of sine sound waves for the larvae was 665.14 and the LD90 1339.43 Hz. The dorsal pronotum of adult beetles, developing from bombarded larvae were studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM) to look for mechanical damage of the dorsal cuticle. The setae were lost or damaged, the epicuticle was obliterated and the sockets became obscure. The results of the study would throw light on the applications of sound waves in the interventional management of stored products pests.