
Timing is Everything When Controlling InsectsBy Linda McGraw July
1, 1998Comedians might be born with good timing, but stored product warehouse
managers can rely on ARS research to help them time insecticide applications to
control insect pests. Most U.S. warehouses fumigate three to four times a year to control moths
and other stored product pests. Costly fumigation--averaging about $20,000 each
time--begins even when only two or three moths are sighted in the warehouse. Better timing of insecticide applications can be made with an accurate count
of insects present and their development stages, according to ARS researchers. ARS entomologists James E. Throne and David W. Hagstrum at the
U.S. Grain Marketing Production and
Research Center in Manhattan, Kan., developed a computer model to track the
development of the almond moth, a worldwide pest of stored grain and other
products. The predictions from their model can help warehouse managers decide when to
use alternatives to insecticides. For example, cooler temperatures can reduce
or stop moth reproduction and slow further development of immature moths. The
entomologists know that insects are cold-blooded and thrive at warmer
temperatures. Only a slight temperature drop--from 75 to 65 degrees F-- could
curtail moth activity. So, turning on the fans to cool the warehouse is less
expensive and environmentally safer than fumigating. An article about the model and future "clones" of it appears in
the July issue of Agricultural Research magazine. The article is also
on the World Wide Web at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jul98/pest0798.htm Scientific contacts: James E. Throne and David W. Hagstrum,
ARS-USDA, U.S. Grain Marketing Production and Research Center, Manhattan, KS. To reach Throne: (785) 776-2796, [email protected];
or Hagstrum (785) 776-2718, [email protected],
fax (785) 776- 2792. U.S. Department of Agriculture | |