Rice constitutes one of the important food items in Malaysia The common insects found infesting rice sealed in polythene bags were Triboliunm castaneum, Sitophilus oryzae, Lophocateres pusillus, Carporphilus dimidiatus, Oryzaephilus surinamensis. Ephestia cautella and Liposcelis entomophilus. Except for S. oryzae, T. castaneum and,I. entomophilus, the remaining species were relatively unimportant and usually, present in small numbers. To date, studies on various control measures have shown that heat treatment through manual 'frying' would ensure a safe storage for only about 7 months. This however is able to double the storage period of 'unfried' rice by reducing the rate of weevil build- up during early storage. For the other heat treatments, i.e. microwave and fluidized heating, a longer storage period appears possible. Under experimental conditions. infested rice subject to effective microwave treatment was observed to remain insect-free despite storage of more than a year. With methyl bromide fumigation, a 2-year safe storage has been achieved to date. The limitations of the various methods studied are also discussed.

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