Spring Welcomes Stored Product Pests
Developing a pheromone monitoring program is key in springtime
Spring is right around the corner, and with the arrival of warmer weather comes stored product insects. Common stored product pests include Cigarette Beetles, Drugstore Beetles, Flour Beetles, Indianmeal Moths, Rice Weevils, Sawtoothed Grain Beetles and Warehouse Beetles. A pheromone mating disruption program can play a key role in managing these pests. Spring is the ideal time to review and renew your stored product pest pheromone programs.
Benefits of a pheromone program:
-
Pheromone traps can be useful in monitoring a wide variety of stored product beetles and moths. In some unheated facilities, these traps may have been shut down over the winter. Now is the time to replace and refresh traps and continue monitoring programs to help alert pest management professionals of any infestations.
-
With newer pheromone technology, dispensers are used for flooding areas with mating pheromone lures for control and population reduction. By saturating an area with pheromone plumes, males are unable to successfully locate females for mating. Unmated females will result in lower insect populations in the long term. Pheromone mating disruption dispensers are available for Indianmeal moth and related moth species only.
In addition to the seasonal rationale for reexamining stored product pest pheromone programs, recent changes in the American Institute of Baking (AIB) food safety standards now make it a critical requirement to have a pheromone monitoring program in place. This requirement is for facilities with products susceptible to stored product pests. It is a good time to assess pheromone monitoring programs in relevant AIB inspected sites. If the facility is lacking in coverage, it is important to make those corrections prior to seasonal activity.
Pheromone traps are an essential tool in stored product pest management. Early detection and response can help limit the spread of a pest infestation leading to superior levels of control. Taking action now can save a lot of headaches in the future. Utilize these traps as part of the early warning system to reduce pest population explosions later in the season.