The disinfestation of cereals, legumes, nuts, tobacco and other stored products in food industries or in food warehouses is usually carried out during the summer months when temperatures are high and insect activity is intense. For warehouse insects, temperatures of 20-25 0C are considered excellent for reproduction, but also for food consumption by them, resulting in significant damage.
During the end of September until the first days of October, day and night temperatures are significantly lower than in summer. With the drop in temperature in stored products, reproductive activity slows down, but also food consumption, resulting in less damage to stored products.
But what happens when autumn does not resemble autumn but summer?
In this case, temperatures during the day reach 28 0C and the sunshine heats the warehouses, production areas and containers.
One solution is to wait for the temperatures to drop as they usually do every year and thus avoid another disinfestation with all the effort and expense that entails. In this case, we consider that the damage that can be caused until winter is small and therefore it is advisable not to take any further action.
The other solution is to act immediately. When the external temperatures during the day reach 27-28 0C and in some cases 30 0C, the temperature of the stored product remains high and often reaches 20-250C. After all, both cereals and many other stored products are poor conductors of heat and take significantly longer to cool. These conditions are not only not unfavorable for insects, but on the contrary constitute an ideal environment for them to consume food and increase their population.
What can we do?
From the moment we recognize that there is a possibility of the presence of insects in the stored product, we proceed with the actions to combat it. This begins with the assessment of the size of the infestation and then with the application of a fumigant or other preparation. The choice of the right preparation and its correct application are required each time.
In the case of fumigation application, we choose the preparation that is primarily appropriate for the occasion. When we have bulk cereals in storage, we can use either Phostoxin® Pellet or Phostoxin® Tablet in the form of pellets and granules respectively. If we are talking about products where the presence of dust residues is prohibited, then we choose a covered form such as Phostoxin® Bags or Magtoxin® Plates/Strips – BIOCIDE (Biocide) and Degesch Plate/Degesch Strip (plant protection insecticide). Additionally, the warehouse can be sprayed with approved preparations in order to deal with insects that are impossible to disinfest with fumigation.
In any case, we must act promptly
Otherwise the insects will continue their “summer” activity, will reproduce and destroy our products, while we will believe that they have ceased to exist.