FIELD TESTS OF DEVICES TO DETECT INSECTS IN DIFFERENT KINDS OF GRAIN STORAGES

Abstract

AbstractInsect infestations in farm-stored grain, country elevators, and grain residues or spillages were detected by probes, traps, and scoops. Of 68 storages examined at 50 Saskatchewan farms in 1970, 25 were infested with the rusty grain beetle, Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens). Of 52 storages examined in Saskatchewan in 1971 none of the permanent buildings was infested, but 27%, 30%, and 45% of temporary cribs, open piles, and grain residues, respectively, were infested with rusty grain beetles, fungus beetles, or both. The fungus beetles found most frequently in the traps were Lathridius minutus L. Cryptophagus varus Woodroffe and Coombs, and Cartodere constricta (Gyllenhal). A survey of different grain storages in Manitoba in 1972 showed that 44%, 45%, and 69% of country elevalors, farm granaries, and open piles of grain, respectively, were infested with fungus beetles. None of the storages contained the rusty grain beetle alone but 5% of farm granaries and 31% of open piles examined were infested with both kinds of insects. The least infestation occurred in country elevators and the highest in open piles. In general, the lowest insect infestations were in grain stored in weather-proof buildings, and the highest in exposed grain. Grain in open piles or temporary cribs suffered considerable spoilage. The traps were useful in determining insect distribution and behavior in stored grain.