Evaluation of the susceptibility of Alphitobius diaperinus meal to infestations by major stored-product beetle species

The projections for the production of insects as food and feed show an enormous increase for insect production in the near future, which will subsequently lead to the increase of the stored quantities of insect meals and related products. However, information on the susceptibility of insect meals to infestations by stored-product insects is rather limited. To this end, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the potential of major storage insect species to grow and reproduce on insect meals that are based on larvae of the lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus. The progeny production of thirteen stored-product insects on A. diaperinus meal, as well as their instantaneous rate of increase, as a measure of population growth, was recorded for each species. Based on the results, six out of the thirteen examined insect species (A. diaperinus, Tenebrio molitor, Trogoderma granarium, Lasioderma serricorne, Tribolium confusum, and Tribolium castaneum) were able to infest pure A. diaperinus meal, as they grew well and developed progeny on the insect meal substrate. Tribolium confusum, T. castaneum, and especially T. granarium gave the highest progeny production numbers in the A. diaperinus meal with the latter giving an instantaneous rate of increase of 0.067. Expecting the upcoming increase in the production of insect-based products globally, further research in this field is needed for improved production and storage facilities, detection and estimation methods, and technologies to minimize insect infestations without causing negative effects to farmed insects.

Automated summary

The present study aimed to evaluate the potential of major storage insect species to grow and reproduce on insect meals based on the lesser mealworm larvae. Results showed that six out of thirteen examined insect species were able to infest pure lesser mealworm meals, with the storage beetle Trogoderma granarium showing the highest rate of increase. Further research is needed to improve production and storage facilities, detection and estimation methods, and minimize insect infestations without negative effects on farmed insects, especially considering the projected increase in insect-based product production globally.