Feeding preference of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) adults on Brazil nuts combined with rice, corn or soybeans

Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) is a major pest of stored products, and understanding its feeding preferences among different food sources is essential for developing effective monitoring and control strategies. The objective was to investigate the behavior of T. castaneum adults regarding food preference in tests with a chance of choice using Brazil nuts combined with rice, corn, or soybeans. In condition I, the insects preferred Brazil nuts (51.16%), followed by rice (41.72%) and, lastly, not feeding (7.16%); in condition II, the most attractive was corn (80.88%), followed by Brazil nuts (17.04%) and not feeding (2.08%). In condition III, the preference was for Brazil nuts (72.52%) followed by soybeans (21.80%) and not feeding (5.68%). The insect chose to change its food throughout the days evaluated for condition I, which did not occur in conditions II and III. Brazil nuts may be used to capture and thereby reduce the population of T. castaneum present in stored rice and soybeans, and this could be a proposal for developing a tool for the integrated management of Tribolium in storage units of these products.