By Dr. Cisse W. Spragins, CEO
When managing stored product pests in commercial and industrial accounts, monitoring is absolutely essential. In a retail store, it is common for stored product insects to be brought in with pet food or bird seed, and to then potentially infest other products, causing significant economic loss. The most effective and economical way to monitor for these introduced pests in this environment is to use sturdy, “smush-proof” monitoring stations and a gel lure with a combination of several beetle and moth pheromones and food attractants.
Once pests are found, removal of infested product is key. Fogging or spraying with an appropriately labeled esfenvalerate EC or pyrethrin product, either of which may also be combined with an insect growth regulator (IGR), may also be warranted in cases of significant infestation, wherein commodities are at risk.
It is important to remember that pheromones, particularly for the Indianmeal moth (IMM), are quite strong. They should generally not be used in smaller structures such as homes, as they can actually attract insects in from the outside. They should generally be placed at least 50 ft. from doors in other structures.
Gel-based pheromone lures are a good option for better precision. That’s because smaller dosages can be used if needed, versus septa- or bullet-type lures, which cannot be divided. Multiple tiny dots of pheromone gel lure can also be used for mating disruption in certain environments, particularly warehouses.
Again, monitoring diligence is the key to effective management in industrial and commercial environments. In smaller structures, such as homes or small retail stores, monitoring incoming shipments and removal of infested product is the key. In some cases, the material supporting the infestation is not obvious — old rodent bait in a wall void, for example. Such situations can be quite challenging and require considerable inspection time.
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