ABSTRACT
The correct identification of any insect is the base of successful pest management. The protection against insect infesting in food grain and seeds, going into storage, must be started with the raw commodity and be continued through processing, packaging, handling, transportation, and storage. The population of stored grain insect pests directly depends upon climatic conditions like high or low temperature, poor sanitation, relative humidity, and moisture content of the produce. Insect pest species that rarely damage grain except by the contamination due to their presence are termed as incidental pests. The external feeders start the feeding through the tender part of the grain and seeds like germs while others web the grain kernels together and larvae feeds inside them. To identify the stored grain insect on the basis of their marks of identification, taxonomic keys have been prepared and with the help of these most dominant species may be identified under Indian situation.
