The importance of laying traps to monitor for any remaining insect activity after cleaning and disinfection is complete, has been highlighted by Bayer‘s Rural Hygiene Manager, Ken Black.
“It’s easy to overlook some key areas of a store where insects could persist and threaten the incoming crop”, he warns.
“Grains and debris are easily missed during clean out, lingering in cracks and crevices in the floor, the roof space and walls. But they present a real danger; acting as a food source to tide primary insect pests over until after harvest.
Ken advises that thorough cleaning must be followed by laying traps to monitor for any remaining insects.
“Monitor traps should be placed at regular intervals within the building and checked on a weekly basis.
“The use of traps highlights whether or not there is a requirement for use of an insecticide treatment and can confirm whether insect populations have been entirely eliminated within the store,” he explains.
“No evidence of insect pests after cleaning and disinfection is a good sign. However, if insects do persist after the cleaning programmes, consider treating the store with a preventative, residual insecticide.”
Ken notes that applying a storage building treatment such as K-Obiol® EC25 before filling will control any active insect pests left in the store, including saw-toothed grain beetles, grain borers and grain moths.
“K-Obiol® delivers a strong level of residual protection and provides continued control to guard against any subsequent insect invasions for up to 2 months when applied as a fabric treatment.”
If buildings are not thoroughly prepared in advance of storage, the long term consequences can be an economical and logistical nightmare, warns Ken. “Primary insect pests left in the store will attack the crop and leave hollowed out grains, which can drastically affect a crop’s farm gate value.
“These pests also leave stored grain vulnerable to secondary insects, which thrive on the grain that’s been damaged by the primary insects. The insect activity creates ‘hotspots’ within the store, leading to the growth of mould and fungi,” he says.
“Forward planning and an integrated, pro-active approach to grain store preparation is key to protecting grain,” concludes Ken.
The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
No comments:
Post a Comment