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■ Do the applied biology and eliminate the moths through integrated pest management (IPM).
■ Don’t let Indianmeal moth (IMM), Plodia interpunctella, contaminate stored food product.
■ Do observe lighting on or near the structure. Sodium vapor (yellow-colored) lighting has 95% less insect-attracting blue light wave compared to mercury vapor (blue-colored) lighting.
■ Don’t allow negative building pressure — a building must have positive pressure. When an exterior door is opened, one should feel air rushing out. Positive pressure prevents insects, dirt, bacteria and mold from entering. As a rule, a slightly positive pressure will exist when supply air is about 10% greater than exhaust air.
■ Do ensure processing lines are covered to eliminate high-end potential contamination.
■ Don’t allow conducive conditions to persist:
❯ Trim branches touching the structure.
❯ Clean up fallen fruit or wildlife feces on the perimeter campus.
❯ Repair parking-lot holes.
❯ Maintain a tidy landscape (cut tall grass).
❯ Repair structural eruptions or cracks.
❯ Fill or repair utility gaps.
❯ Institute a no-open-door policy.
❯ Ensure refuse is handled properly (trash to a person is treasure to a pest).
■ Do get the whole picture. Know the IPM puzzle:
❯ Education;
❯ Inspection;
❯ Exclusion;
❯ Administration support;
❯ Pest trapping;
❯ Sanitation;
❯ Mechanical control;
❯ Physical control;
❯ Service technician;
❯ Professional product applications;
❯ Quality control; and
❯ Logbook.
Dr. Mitchell, D.O., Ph.D., M.P.H., B.C.E., a board-certified physician and entomologist, is principal technical specialist for PestWest Environmental, as well as PMP’s Technical Editor. He can be reached at docmitchell@northcoastmedia.net or 515-333-8923. You can reach industry consultant Dr. Granovsky at tag@granvosky.com.
