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Book of Abstracts First Legume Society Conference 2013: A Legume Odyssey Novi Sad, Serbia, 9-11 May 2013
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The biology and ecology of Bruchus rufimanus (bean seed beetle) – monitoring and
distribution of the pest across the UK
Becky Ward
Processors and Growers Research Organisation, the Research Station, Great North Road, Thornhaugh,
Peterborough, UK
The bean seed beetle, Bruchus rufimanus (Boheman), is an economically important pest of bean
crops throughout Europe and has become a serious pest in the UK. Its principal hosts are spring
and winter sown field beans, Vicia faba var. minor and broad beans, Vicia faba var. major. It is
suspected that its spread across Europe is a consequence of increasing average temperature,
possibly due to climate change. The bean seed beetle is the primary cause of quality problems in
UK produce. It is the only bruchid pest endemic in the UK, this being the most northerly latitude
at which it is able to survive and reproduce. All of the damage is caused during the growing
season and no further damage is sustained during storage. As a result of increasing levels of
damage in produce over the last twenty years, research has focused on investigating the biology
of the pest and methods of monitoring and controlling activity. Monitoring has allowed a unique
opportunity to map distribution across the UK. Unlike many other pests it has been possible to
map presence and intensity in all regions using data from laboratory tests carried out by one of
the largest grain merchants in the UK. The importance of collecting these data is emphasised by
recent movement of the pest north, possibly caused by increased average temperatures.
Temperature is a critical factor in the reproductive development of the female adult beetle,
oviposition starting only when temperatures reach 20°C.
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