STORED-PRODUCT INSECT ACTIVITY OUTSIDE OF GRAIN MASSES IN COMMERCIAL GRAIN ELEVATORS IN THE MIDWESTERN UNITED-STATES

Knowledge of sources of insect infestation, population dynamics, and m ovement of pests is needed to effectively target and use both conventi onal and alternative pest management tactics. This study was conducted to determine the nature and source of insect infestations in commerci al elevators with an emphasis on the relative importance of refugial p opulations in and around commercial facilities. Insect activity was mo nitored using two types of traps in several areas inside and outside c oncrete silos, Every area of all of the elevators examined had detecta ble populations of stored-product insects that could potentially migra te into grain in storage. A total of 13 beetle species and two species of moths were found, Each elevator had different problem areas that d emonstrated the structural and management influences on insect movemen t. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.