A TTRA is the national sustainable agriculture information service operated by the National Center for Appropriate T echnology under a grant from the Rural Business-Cooperati ve Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. These organizations do not recommend or endorse products, companies, or individuals. NCA T has offices in Fayetteville, Arkansas (P .O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702), Butte, Montana, and Davis, California. INTRODUCTION By Pr eston Sulliv anNCAT Agriculture Specialist July 2002 S TORED GRAIN PESTM ANAGEMENTEf fective contr ol of stored-grain pests with minimal pes- tic ide u se requires an IPM app roach combining sanitation, mon itori ng, and other p reventive practi ces. Sanitation in- volves cleaning bins, elevators, and other conveyers before new grain is put in storage—the goal being to eliminate insect eggs, pupae, and dormant adults that will eat and grow in the stored gra in. Traps are excel lent f or mon itor- ing pest levels. Many trap s contain pherom one (sex scent) lures. At least one comp any su pp lies insect traps for mon i- toring insects in stored grain (1). Prop er identification of p ests is essential for effec tive con- trol. For assistance with insect iden tific ation, contact the Coop erative Extension Service or visit the websites listed at reference 2. “Stored Grain Advisor,” a c omp uter p rogram for stored- wh eat managem ent, is a decision-supp ort sof twar e program used to identify pests, pred ict infestations, and recommend preventive or remedial ac tion. The program can be down- loaded from the website of its developer, the Grain Marketing and Production Research Center in Manhattan, KS (3). Amon g the n on-toxic treatments th at can be used on stored grain is diatomaceous earth (DE) , a sili ca prod uct comp osed of the fossili zed cell w alls of ancient sea algae. This m aterial is m ined, groun d into a flour, and used as an insectici de against a variety of pests. The sharp ed ges of DE c ut the pest’s cuticl e c overing, resulting in death by d ehyd ration. One stored-grain DE produ ct, Insecto™, is used to top off a grain bin fil led w ith fresh grain. The supp liers recomm end cl eaning out the bin prior to fi ll ing it with new gr ain, then also du sting some Insecto throu gh the fan system. The top dr essing of Insecto™ pr events new infestations f rom en tering the grain. Insecto™ is a formu lation of DE plus a feed ingred ient to attract the insects to their death. I have enclosed information on the use of Insecto™ for controlling stored-grain pests. Three more m ethods for controll ing stored-prod uct pests are cooli ng, heating, and using carbon dioxi de a s a fumigant. Because m any of the p ests ori ginated in the trop ics, they are susceptible to col d temperatu res. Most require temperatures above 60°F to reach dam aging popu lation levels; CURRENT TOPIC NON-TOXIC TREATMENTS Drawing courtesy of Coo pera tive Ext ension Service
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ATTRA is the national sustainable agriculture information service operated by the National Center forAppropriate Technology under a grant from the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, U.S. Department
of Agriculture. These organizations do not recommend or endorse products, companies, or individuals.NCAT has offices in Fayetteville, Arkansas (P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702), Butte, Montana,
and Davis, California.
INTRODUCTION
By Preston Sullivan
NCAT Agriculture Specialist
July 2002
S TORED GRAIN P EST
M ANAGEMENT
Effective control of stored -grain pests w ith minim al pes-
ticide u se requires an IPM app roach combining sanitation,
mon itoring, and other p reventive practices. Sanitation in-
volves cleaning bins, elevators, and other conveyers before
new grain is put in storage—the goal being to eliminate
insect eggs, pupae, and dormant adults that will eat and
grow in the stored gra in. Traps are excellent for mon itor-ing pest levels. Many trap s contain pherom one (sex scent)
lures. At least one comp any su pp lies insect traps for mon i-
toring insects in stored grain (1).
Proper id entification of pests is essential for effective con-
trol. For assistance with insect iden tification , contact the
Cooperative Extension Service or visit the w ebsites listed a t
reference 2.
“Stored Grain Advisor,” a comp uter p rogram for stored-
wh eat managem ent, is a decision-supp ort software program
used to identify pests, pred ict infestations, and recommend
preven tive or remedial action. The program can be dow n-
loaded from the website of its developer, the Grain Marketing and Production Research Center inManhattan, KS (3).
Amon g the n on-toxic treatments th at can be used on stored grain is diatomaceous earth (DE), a
silica prod uct comp osed of the fossilized cell walls of ancient sea algae. This material is mined ,
groun d into a flour, and u sed as an insecticide against a variety of pests. The sharp ed ges of DE cut
the pest’s cuticle covering, resulting in death by dehyd ration. One stored -grain DE produ ct, Insecto™,
is used to top off a grain bin filled w ith fresh grain. The supp liers recomm end cleaning out th e bin
prior to filling it with new grain, then also du sting some Insecto throu gh the fan system. The top
dressing of Insecto™ prevents new infestations from en tering the grain. Insecto™ is a formu lation
of DE plus a feed ingred ient to attract the insects to their death. I have enclosed information on the
use of Insecto™ for controlling stored-grain pests.
Three more m ethods for controlling stored-prod uct pests are cooling, heating, and using carbon
dioxide a s a fumigant. Because m any of the p ests originated in the trop ics, they are susceptible to
cold temp eratu res. Most require temp eratures above 60°F to reach dam aging popu lation levels;
CURRENT TOPIC
NON-TOXIC TREATMENTS
Drawing courtesy of Cooperative Ext ension Service
moth, and Indian meal moth. More information on these pests and the beneficials that control
them can be seen at the Biofac website and in the enclosure from their w ebsite.
The bacterial pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) can be used during grain storage to kill moth
caterpillars that hatch after the grain is stored. B.t. is effective only against the larval stage of
insects in the moth family, such as grain moths and Ind ian meal moths. Eggs, pup ae, and adu ltsare not affected. The produ ct must be ingested by the caterpillar in order to work. B.t. kills cater-
pillars by dam aging their d igestive tract over a period of two or m ore days. There are several
product formulations of B.t., including Dipel™ and Javelin™.
In sum mary, there are several viable alternatives to pesticides for m anaging stored -grain p ests.
These include beneficial insects, temperature extremes, carbon dioxide fumigation, and diatoma-
ceous earth. These intervention methods, coup led with sanitation and mon itoring, can compr ise a
successful stored -grain IPM program.
From left to right: Confused Flour Beetle, Angoumois Grain Moth, Granary Weevil, Lesser Grain Borer.Photo courtesy of A gri-Marketing Services
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Anon. 2000. Throwing out the garbage. Fumigants and Pheromones. Spring. p. 1.
Fields, Pau l G. 1999. The control of stored -prod uct insects and m ites with extrem e tempera-
tu res. Fum igants and Pheromones. Fall. p. 8–9.
Gann on, Bobbie. 2000. Heat treatm ent checklist. Fumigants and Pherom ones. Spring. p. 2.