Bug eat bug
Researchers at the us Agriculture Department claim that pest population in grain stores can be controlled by increasing the population of a tiny insect-eating bug.
Lycotcoris Campestris -- the larger pirate bug -- is found in grain stores thriving on the insects that thrive on grain. According to entomologist Thomas Phillips, it can be removed from grain during processing.
This dark brown 0.3 cm-long bug kills pests 10 to 50 times its size within a minute by injecting poisonous saliva. It devours all but 2 species of grain pests.
L campestris can survive in subfreezing temperatures and reproduce as soon as they are warmed up. It starts gorging the moment it begins its 100-day life and can live without food or water for about 20 days.
Related Content
- First food: business of taste
- Tunisia economic monitor, Spring 2024: renewed energy to the economy
- A comparison of the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions from combustion and electric heavy-duty vehicles in India
- Global electricity review 2024
- State of the climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2023
- Dietary guidelines for India 2024