The suitability of groundnuts for the development of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae)

Tribolium castaneum is a major pest of stored shelled groundnuts. It preferentially attacks and develops well on the germ and only subsequently feeds on the less nutritional cotyledons. T. castaneum is capable of coping with high levels of protein in its diet. At levels encountered in whole groundnuts, groundnut protein is adequate for development. T. castaneum larvae use oil as efficiently as starch. Free fatty acids retard development and increase larval mortality at high concentrations; these detrimental effects are overcome by incorporating 3 per cent glucose in the diet. Groundnut saponins in a cholesterol-free diet have no adverse effect on larval development.