YEAR 9 SCIENCE EDGE (BIOLOGY)By Clare WilsonWith Grace Yap, Denae Moore and Ben SharpeINTRODUCTIONIn this experiment we will test our red rust flour beetles to find out when they become more active. We will place the insects under two zones, one hot and one cold. After running the test several times, we will be able to put our results together to find an answer. By knowing which insects prefer a certain area or temperature, we will be able to know the natural habitats and nature of the insect. BACKGROUND The common name for these beetles is the red rust flour beetle, but if you want the scientific name you will find it, Tribolium Castaneum. It belongs to the Tenebrionidae family. The adult-sized beetle measures approximately three to four millimeters and has an elongated, more or less parallel body. Red-brown or dark brown in color, this beetle can be recognized by the antennae inserted under the sides of the head. The insect also forms 3-segmented club elytra with finely perforated lines. These insects are distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions. Red rust beetles like to be between 22 and 40°C, but preferably 35°C. Females lay up to 500 eggs. The life cycle of a beetle is 20 days under optimal temperature and environmental conditions. Larvae and adults are secondary pests and attack cereals, peanuts, spices, cocoa, dried fruits and nuts. Food infestation discolors the grain and gives off a foul odor. This insect does not appear in standing crops. Therefore, good hygiene with storage and control equipment should minimize infection. OBJECTIVE: To find out whether red flour rust beetles respond and become more active in warmer or colder areas. HYPOTHESIS: The red rust...... middle of paper ...... insects live in tropical/subtropical areas, so we can immediately know that they will become more active in warmer areas. In the two tests, the results show very different things. I think the second test was much more successful than the first. The main factor that would have affected the results overall would have been the temperature difference between the two tests. This and the fact that they were on a different day and the fact that we didn't have exactly the same number of bugs in the containers would have been the main factors that would have put our test at a disadvantage. CONCLUSIONI was able to prove it and discover it. my answer, which was my hypothesis; insects will become more active under the lamp or in warmer areas. Although these beetles can cause some discoloration and odor problems with grains, they cannot otherwise be harmful or qualify as pests..