Freezing Temperature Treatments Against Almond Moth, Ephestia Cautella (walker), Infestation of Date Fruits

Dates maintain prime importance as sources of income and as symbols of cultural heritage in Saudi Arabia. Ephestia cautella (Walker) is one of the most important insects that attack stored dates. In an effort to safeguard small-scale producers, temperatures of 5 °C (representing typical house refrigerator temperatures), − 14 °C (representing in-house freezer temperatures), and − 25 °C (representing temperatures in small factory freezers) were applied to samples of dates previously infested with E. cautella larvae. Exposure periods of 1, 12, 48, 120, and 240 h were considered to assess the effectiveness of freezing temperatures against stored product insect pests. The temperature of − 25 °C proved to be the most effective, resulting in 100