Sustainable approaches for managing Sitophilus granarius in stored grains

Sitophilus granarius (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae), commonly known as the wheat weevil, is a grain pest that poses a severe threat to the storage industry, causing significant economic loss and food insecurity. This review introduces different pest management strategies, with a focus on chemical and biological control strategies. Chemical control, including fumigants like phosphine and insecticides like pyrethroids, offers quick and effective solutions. The emergence of resistance, environmental contamination, and health risks highlights the need for alternative strategies. Biological management tactics that use natural enemies like parasitoids, entomopathogenic fungi, and microbial agents provide sustainable and eco-friendly solutions. Two biological agents, the predator Teretrius nigrescens and the parasitic fungus Beauveria bassiana, compromise weevil density with low ecological footprints. Integrated pest management works towards integrating these tools with prevention and monitoring into full, long-term control programs. Among these novel approaches, RNA interference technology and gene editing directly target weevil genes. This reduces infestations while safeguarding species that are non-target. Furthermore, precision technologies like the Internet of Things-based monitoring provide innovative, non-chemical solutions. This article highlights the economic implications of various pesticides, ranging from affordable inert dusts to advanced biopesticides. The integration of conventional and futuristic technology will help improve sustainable wheat weevil management strategies, leading to a reduced environmental footprint without any detrimental impact on grain quality. This article focuses on the biology and control of S. granarius, particularly on scalable and practical approaches for global agricultural and storage systems. In striking out boldly, it makes a point of reminding all the parasites out there that research, innovation, and collaboration will trump them every time.