Sanitation is critical for grain

bin pest management

Sanitation is the first line of defense to protect stored grain. Fumigants play
important role in preventing insect damage. Cultural practices, including leveling
grain improves pesticide efficacy.

Sanitation is the first line of defense to protect stored grain from damaging
insect pests.

“Protecting stored grain also requires a mult-faceted approach. A single tactic

will not be successful,” said Texas AgriLife Extension entomologist Roy Parker,
who works out of the Corpus Christi Research and Extension Center.

“Sanitation is critical,” Parker told a group of farmers and others who work in
the grain storage and handling industry during a recent safety seminar at
Sinton, Texas. He said grain facility managers “must monitor for insect pests.”

Proper use of fumigants also plays an important role, and for fumigants to be
effective the storage facility “must be tightly constructed. If the facility is not
tight, you will not get a complete kill,” Parker said.

Sanitation includes areas outside the facility. “Clean harvest equipment, hauling
equipment, pits, augers and conveyors,” he said. He also admonished grain
handlers to keep the area around grain bins free of old grain and other litter. “I
often see piles of old grain near storage facilities,” he said. “That produces a lot
of insects.”

Cultural practices are also important to maintain grain quality in storage. “Level
the grain,” he said. Uneven grain surfaces contribute to uneven air flow during
aeration and may result in pockets of grain that do not dry down as they should.
Uneven grain also limits the efficacy of pesticide applications to control
damaging insects.

“Before a grain handler can make a successful grain surface treatment, the bin
must be clean,” Parker said. He recommended Tempo or Malathion applied two
to three weeks before new grain goes into the facility.

Moisture control is another critical factor. “Moisture will migrate from warm
areas to cooler areas, and the outside two to three feet of grain can cool down
during a cold front. Grain temperature should remain below 59 degrees
Fahrenheit, he said.

He said even small openings in a grain bin can affect fumigant efficacy. A half-
inch gap around the eaves equals a three-and-a-half foot opening,” he said.
“Sealing the bin is critical for a good kill.”

He recommends inspecting the grain twice a month during cool weather, once a
month with higher temperatures.

“Grain sampling is the first step in any integrated pest management program,”
Parker said. Managers should be aware of weevils, including the rice weevil in
south Texas. “Infestation can start in the field. They lay eggs on the grain kernel
and may produce six generations a year.”

Weevils damage grain with chewing mouth parts.

Lesser grain borers lay eggs outside the kernel and the larvae eat into the kernel
to complete the life cycle. “This pest is sometimes called the ‘Attila the Hun’ of
grain insects,” Parker said, “because they create so much damage.”

The red flower beetle and the rusty grain beetle are considered secondary pests
and feed on mold and grain dust.
Several insecticides are available for grain storage application including
Storicide, Sensat, Diacon and Actellic.