Stored product pest insects are the important pest in goods production factories. Some of the major pests stored product pest are beetles and moth. These insects damage stored product commodities, such as rice, flour, grains, raisins etc by either feeding the product, inducing mould production to the commodities or contaminate the products with waste material.
Stored Product Pest
In any ways, infestation of stored product pest will cause rejection of raw materials, contamination to food products, production yield loss and health-concerned issues to the end users. Stored product insects are not limited to the industrial line, it can also be found infesting products in stores, restaurant and domestic end-user when they bought infested good supplies. But you can get relief from these pests by performing effective stored product pest control!
Recommended Management Tips for Stored Product Pest Control
Quarantine & Reject
- Industrial: Before introducing stock pile into the warehouse, seal the commodities with plastic cling film and quarantine the stock pile in a separated warehouse for 1 week. Reject the stock if it is infested with stored product insects. Highlight the issue to the supplier to check and seek for advice with their preferred Pest Control Operator.
- Domestic: Freeze-kill can be used to remove any insects and their immature stages in the grains or rice.
Do not hoard stored products for too long; always practice first-in-first-out habit while using the stored products.
Monitor & Control
- Insect Light Trap; useful tool used to monitor and control flying insects;It uses UV light to attract flying insect such as moth.Each station is equipped with glue card. Insects that get into the light trap will stuck on the glue surface while finding place to rest.Depending on the purpose of setting light trap, glue card can give valuable information to the clients and PCO on the flying insect pest at selected area.
- Pheromone trap; Specific sex pheromone or aggregation pheromone is used to attract interested insects to the designated glue card trap. Depending on the purpose of setting pheromone trap, glue card can give valuable information to the clients and PCO on the specific pest at selected area.
Misting
Misting can use as a form of Stored Product Pest Control in factory building, where this action reduces the intensity of the pest population in an instant treatment. Misting drawback is the chemical can only kill any adult insect pest on the surface of stored products, it may have limited effectiveness against immature stages that are boring inside the commodities. Follow up monitoring like pheromone traps, insect light traps can help to keep population in check.
Cigarette Beetle
Lasioderma serricorne
- Pest of tobacco products (hence the name ‘cigarette beetle’), processed food; minor pest to oilseed, cereals and products of cereal; may also attack on spices, dried fruits and sago flour
- 2 mm long,reddish brown in colour; globular and cylindrical in shape; head held downwards
- Primary pest (adult beetle may feed a little on the grains) or secondary pest (adult beetle lay 1 egg on the external of kernel, the hatched larva will then find gaps to burrow and feed the inside grains)
- When disturbed, adult beetle will ‘play dead’ (remain motionless and curling up)
Red Flour Beetle
Tribolium castaneum
- Both adult and larvae are pest of cereal; may also attack groundnuts, beans, spices, coffee, cocoa and dried fruits.
- 2.6 mm long, reddish-brown in colour; cylindrical in shape; obvious 3 segmented antennae club
- Secondary pest (feeding on broken grain, grain dust, and other household food items); Pest leaves persistent awful odour in the commodities due to secretion from abdominal glands; may also induce mould growth
- Adults can fly in short distances
Confused Flour Beetle
Tribolium confusum
- Pest ofstored flour and grains; may also attack groundnuts, beans, dried fruits and rice
- 2.6 mm long,reddish- brown in colour; cylindrical in shape; have 4 segmented club- shaped antennae increase in size gradually
- Secondary pest (feeding on broken grain, grain dust, and other household food items);Pest leaves persistent awful odour in the commodities due to secretion from abdominal glands; may also induce mould growth
- Adult cannot fly
Carpet Beetle
Corcyra cephalonica
- Adult: 1 to 4 mm in length.
- Oval-shaped body and display black, white and yellow patterned coloration.
- Some species of carpet beetle may also exhibit orange coloration.
- Good fliers
- Feed on a variety of materials including carpets, wool and fur.
- Infestations tend to go unnoticed for long periods of time, allowing them to cause severe damage to bedding, clothes, pillows and carpets
Larder Beetle
Dermestes lardarius
- Large oval insect.
- Adult is about 7 to 9 mm long.
- It is usually black with a yellow band across the wing covers.
- There are several dark spots in the yellow area.
- Life cycle from eggs to adult complete in 40 to 50 days.
- Feed on feathers, skins, horns and dry pet food.
- Infest pantries and storerooms where people store pet food.
- Larder beetles also infest nests of rats in wall voids and attics. They can move from these areas into almost any part of a home.
Rice Moth
Corcyra cephalonica
- Pale, white or buff-brown colour
- The veins may appear darkened and the hind wings are almost translucent.
- 15-25mm wingspan. They have long fine hairs that cover their body.
- Their life cycle takes 30 to 52 days to complete
- This moth attacks grains, especially rice, but will also eat oil seeds, cocoa beans, dried fruit and spices.
- Rice moth larvae contaminate food by producing large amounts of strong webbing and frass.
- This can bind food together and make foods unsuitable for sale or consumption.
- Frass from the rice moth can also attract other stored food pests and increase the damage and contamination of the product.
Mediterranean Flour Moth
Ephestia kuehniella
- Adult: 10 to 27 mm in length.
- During flying, this moth can be seen to fly in a zigzag fashion, thus differentiating them from the other moth.
- Their life cycle takes 30 to 52 days to complete
- Damage wide range of food products such as rice, grains, flour and cereals as they feed on it.
- The spinning of cocoon can cause clogged in the machinery due to its webbing.
- Condensation also can occur resulting in increased humidity which can further provide a good condition for mold production
Indian Meal Moth
Plodia interpunctella
- Reddish-brown in color, shiny and looks similar to red flour beetle.
- It has antenna ended with a four clubbed tips which can be used to differentiate between confused and red flour beetle (three clubbed tips).
- The thorax has a straight or parallel shape. The size of this beetle can reach up to 3mm in length.
- This beetle has a chewing mouth part but it does not bite.
- When rubbed between fingers, it gives off sharp pungent smell.
- Confused floor beetle usually associated with secondary damage (it can only be found in grains that were infested by other stored product pest).
- Product that has heavily infested with this beetle will develop a grayish tint which then promotes growth of mold.
- Cause contamination to the neighboring products and reduces food safety.
Rice Leaf Folder
Cnaphalocrocis medinalis
- Golden-brown color with a wingspan of about 13-18 mm
- The larvae are yellowish-green and the size can reach to 25 mm (0.97 inch) in length.
- The wings are brownish yellow in color with wavy distinct two or three dark markings.
- One of the problems they can cause is as they are attracted to UV light at insect light trap, they will die.
- The death of this moth attracts ants as their food source. For example like pharaoh ants that feed on other dead insect.
- Besides, they will reduce food quality as present of webbing.