A Water-Trap for Detecting Insects in Stored Grain

Abstract

Much of the losses due to insects in stored grain occur when infestations remain unnoticed because of infrequent or inadequate sampling, There is clearly a need for a simple, sensitive method of indicating the presence of insects in stored grain before they become sufficiently numerous to occur in grain samples.At the Winnipeg laboratory, jars of water are sometimes used to increase the relative humidity above wheat containing cultures of rhe rusty grain beetle,Laemophloeus ferrugineusSteph. The fact that adults were often trapped in the water suggested a method of detecting insect infestations in stored grain. This paper reports field and laboratory experiments on the general usefulness of a water-trap to detect insects in stored grain.