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'Strong' Phosphine Resistance Found in U.S. Stored Grain Insects

  • COURTESY OF DRS. GEORGE OPIT AND THOMAS PHILLIPS

    (Fig. 3) Dr. George Opit (right) and Dr. Thomas Phillips performing tests with a gas chromatographic-flame photometric detector.

  • COURTESY OF DRS. GEORGE OPIT AND THOMAS PHILLIPS

    (Fig. 1) Lesser grain borer

  • Courtesy of Kansas State University

    Dr. Thomas Phillips

  • COURTESY OF DRS. GEORGE OPIT AND THOMAS PHILLIPS

    (Fig. 2) Red flour beetle

  • Courtesy of Oklahoma State University

    Dr. George Opit

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The lesser grain borer and the red flour beetle are two of the major pests in stored grain in the United States, and are often combated with phosphine fumigation. These fumigations are starting to fail, raising questions about their effectiveness. Resistance in stored-product insect pests has become a major problem in many countries, with very high levels of resistance found in some parts of Asia and Africa and, more recently, in Australia and South America. Drs. George Opit, Thomas Phillips...
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