Long term effectiveness of the mixture of diatomaceous earth and deltamethrin on wheat

A mixture of diatomaceous earth (DE) and deltamethrin (DM) was developed to control stored-grain insect pests. The formulation contains a low quantity of DE and small amounts of insecticide deltamethrin technical powder dissolved in solvent and soap. This study was initiated in order to determine how long the mixture DE/DM will provide acceptable protection against infestation by the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.), the lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) and the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), when applied to hard red spring wheat (HRSW) and stored under normal storage conditions. Immediately after treatment, all three species were controlled at 100 milligram per kg or parts per million (ppm) of DE/DM mixture. At 100 ppm, DE/DM mixture provided 100% population reduction of all three species for up to 12 months with little or no progeny produced.