Question

This insect eats through seed coats of stored product pests?

a) rice and Granary weevil
b) red and Confused flour beetles
c) psocids and grain mites
d) Sawtooth and Merchant grain beetles

Answer 1

The granary weevil is an insect that bores into seeds to lay eggs, and the larvae consume the seed contents, leading to the seed's demise and potential economic losses in agriculture.

Step-by-step explanation:

The insect that eats through seed coats of stored product pests is the granary weevil. These adult granary weevils drill through the walls of cereal grains, such as wheat and rice, to deposit their eggs. As the larvae develop, they feed on the seed contents and eventually emerge as adults, causing significant damage to the seeds in the process. This method of reproduction is closely tied to the consumption of the host seed, which also leads to the death of the seed, a characteristic behavior of parasitoids. Such interactions between pests and agricultural products can lead to substantial economic losses in agriculture.