Issue 96 Summer 2010 Routing: A Newsletter for the Insect Control & Pest Management Industry Mating Disruption By David K. Mueller, BCE A fter four decades of using pheromone baited traps for monitoring insects, new techniques for using pheromones to control stored product pest populations are being discovered and developed. The ability to reduce customer complaints has been impacted by these sensitive control tools. Summary Mating disruption (MD) is part of a pest management program and should not be considered a single source treatment. Inspections by a knowledgeable pest manager are important during a MD treatment to determine if inbound ingredients are infested. Mating disruption can, however, reduce the need for insecticide fogging. A three year case study of a nut processor in the U.S. showed that the MD treatment reduced the number of foggings from five to one per year with only MD. Mating disruption shows promise in organic food storage where Indianmeal moth and Mediterranean flour moth are the target pests. The MD treatment was effective at reducing overall costs but did not control issues with inbound infested materials. VISIT US The advanced training it takes to establish, record, and evaluate a MD program requires more than other types of pest control programs. Insect biology, reproductive anatomy, and insect habits are important to know and understand. Pest management providers will need to consider the time it takes to inspect warehouses for new arrivals. Mating disruption can be compared to simply clipping off the antennae of a insect. This stops all communication. If there are adult moths flying around the warehouse during the MD treatment, many were females searching for male moths. The pest manager needs to spend time capturing these free flying females. Pest managers should carefully examine moth abdomens and the females bursa sacks for spermatophores(s) AT: (continued on page 6) I N T H I S I S S U E : Bad Bugs Dave s Soapbox Webbing Clothes Moth Ladder Safety Preserving Our History Calendar of Events www.insectslimited.com
Fumigants & Pheromones Page 2 Bad Bugs... The Larger Grain Borer (Prostephanus truncates) By Stella Böye, visiting student Hüde, Germany T he Larger Grain Borer is a highly destructive primary pest of farm-stored maize and dried cassava roots. The region of origin of the Larger Grain Borer (LGB) is Central America between Mexico and Panama. Since the end of the 1970s, this Bostrichidae beetle has been introduced and spread with the import of maize to Africa. It has been reported in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and other countries. This tropical insect will attack the whole grain on the cob, both before and after harvest. The adults bore into the grain, making holes by their tunneling action, and generating large quantities of flour and dust. Without proper control, losses of up to 35% may occur in 5-6 months in maize storage. Recognition & Biology The LGB is a small, 3-4 mm long insect with a dark brown color. The thorax has rows of teeth on its upper front edge and the head is tucked down underneath the thorax so that it cannot be seen from above. It has a cylindrical shape and teeth on the thorax like other insects in this family. The larvae have three pairs of legs and are white, fleshy, and This Larger grain borer is one of the most destructive insects in stored grain. sparsely covered with hairs. The females lay 30-50 eggs into the bored tunnels and chambers in the product (e.g. in maize and dried cassava). A life cycle can be completed within 44 and 61 days, depending on food and climatic conditions. Monitoring & Control Without natural enemies in Africa, it was very easy for the beetle to build large populations in a short period of time. So the fast spread/proliferation over the whole continent was possible. To stop this wreak-havoc-insect, the GTZ-company from Germany (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit) started a project in the year 1987, to find natural enemies. Natural enemies like parasitic wasps and insect diseases were identified and tested for use in the field. The most important finding was the predator Teretriosoma nigrescens, which is able to find the LGB and attack its larva, pupae and eggs. The predator cannot stop the survival of the beetle, but it is able to suppress the population a considerable level. To discover this beetle, the scientists fabricate traps, baited with chemical attractant (Kairomone), which is produced by the male LGB. The pheromone is arranged in plastic capsules, which is placed in qualified traps. These traps are attractive for the LGB as well as for the T. nigrescens, so it is possible to attract and to monitor both with the same trap. To control the pest in the grain storages, the application of insecticides in several formulations is performed (powder or liquid application). Abio-products, e.g. Bacillus thuringiensis and a plant repellent called Neem was also quite successful. Maize in bigger stores (silos, special warehouses made of bricks) was treated with gas in order to kill the stored product pest. Suitable containers (e.g. metal drums) and regular inspections are helpful. The biological agents are still in place in Africa and do a great job of managing this very destructive post-harvest insect pest. The LGB has been found in the United States in Arizona, California, Montana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York and Texas. This pest can build up a population in maize, stored on the cob in sheath. In the U.S., the corn is mainly stored in bulk in silos, so that this insect has difficulty attacking the kernel. V I S I T U S A T : w w w. i n s e c t s l i m i t e d. c o m
Page 3 Fumigants & Pheromones Dave s Soapbox for what it s worth Since 1962, this fumigant has killed untold beetles, weevils, and moths worldwide. The unfortunate thing is that a few have survived because of poor fumigation techniques or simply through evolution. When a fertile female insect survives, she will pass on 100s of progeny that will carry their parent s genetics. If these genes show genetically Imagine a World without Phosphine Fumigant (Phostoxin ) COMING, if I didn t think we could prolong the inevitable a few more years. I heard recently that the Lesser grain borer in northern California were so resistant to phosphine that applicators are switching to sulfuryl fluoride fumigant with a different mode of action than phosphine. Here s an article from Australia that highlights why I believe it is time to launch a strong effort to manage phosphine resistance if it is not too late. Imagine if you had to extend your phosphine fumigation from 3 days to 30 days and double the dosage rate to kill resistant stored product insects? I have personally worked with phosphine for over four decades. I can honestly say that I really like this widely used fumigant for several reasons: highly effective, a pungent warning odor, great penetrating gas, and inexpensive. Phosphine was first introduced in the 1950s in Germany and was marketed by Phostoxin Sales, Inc. of Alhambra, California in the early 1960s. My father, Albert Mueller, first used Phostoxin in 1962 in Evansville, Indiana to treat stored wheat in his flour mill for stored product insects and rodents. I worked for Phostoxin Sales for six years (1975-1981) training people how to properly apply Phostoxin. Flat grain beetle (left) and lesser grain borer on the right. linked resistance, they will pass this encoded message to a future generation in weeks. If that infested grain gets transported to a different country, those resistant genes follow. Recently I attended a meeting on current Stored Product Insect research. During this scientific meeting I heard several papers on phosphine resistance. I was shocked to see how widespread phosphine resistance is today. Without a real effort to manage phosphine, we may lose it like we did malathion in the 1980s. Malathion was used for everything: homes, yards, crops, stored grain, public health, and we didn t manage it very well. After 60 years we saw insects, like the Indianmeal moth, completely fixed to this once cure-all and kill-all insecticide. I wouldn t shout: RESISTANCE IS COMING, RESISTANCE IS Photo: Chris Freebairn, Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries In brief Researchers are studying genetic codes to learn how insects like the lesser grain borer, flat grain beetle, rice weevil, and the red flour beetle are developing resistance to the world s most widely used grain fumigant phosphine. Because grain and stored products are moved around the world, the resistant insects in one country soon pass the genes on in another country. Why Lesser grain borer? Research on the lesser grain borer is the most advanced, as widespread high resistance was first identified in Bangladesh and India in the early 1990s. Low levels of resistance were found in Australia at the same time and (continued on page 5) V I S I T U S A T : w w w. f u m i g a t i o n z o n e. c o m
Fumigants & Pheromones Page 4 Webbing Cloth Moth Lure Comparison By Pete Swords Pheromone Chemist, Insects Limited Inc. Insects Limited was a recent participant at the 10th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection in Estoril, Portugal. The independent work of Jacques Auger, Ingrind Arnault, Emilie Meunier, Michael Decoux and Dominique De Reyer was on display in the form of a scientific poster entitled Efficiency comparison of three attractant products against webbing clothes moth Tineola bisselliella (Hummel) (Lepidoptera: Tineidae) using an adapted four arms olfactometer. In this study three attractant products were used to compare their efficiencies to one another. T he webbing clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella) is one of the most common fabric pests. Reports indicate that the webbing clothes moth is more than likely of African origin but eventually spread throughout the world. Indications of its presence in the United States date back before the year 1860. These moths breed in dark, undisturbed places. Adults normally emerge in the spring from things tucked away in the attic, closet, or museum storage areas. Eggs of these pests will hatch after about 40 days at a temperature of at least 55 F (12.8 C). The newly emerged larvae will begin to spin webbing and feed on various items including: animal mounts, feather dusters, raw wool, furs, blankets, draperies, rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture and irreplaceable collections found in museums but there are many more. Monitoring for the infestation of the webbing clothes moth is very important. Damage from this pest can be quite costly. Here at Insects Limited, the development and improvement of attractants for this moth has been a main focus. Through the use of organic chemistry, the complex pheromone of the webbing clothes moth has been synthesized to produce a highly pure (99%), highly efficient tool for capturing these moth pests. A. Insects Limited, Inc. Bullet Lure All three attractant products were placed according to their approximate specifications inside Mobilier National a furniture storeroom in Paris, France. These products were placed in several infested reserves over a period of four months; subsequent data was collected and recorded. The results of this furniture storeroom experiment can be seen below. Mean of Captures B. Russel IPM CAT-QLURE C. Finicon FINICON Sticky Pads Application in Furniture Stockroom 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Russel Finicon A B C Attractants Summary As seen in the table, Insects Limited s Bullet Lure recorded catches that were more than double the other two products examined. The Bullet Lure was effective for the capture of the webbing clothes moth. Further research and quality assurance are key priorities to ensure homeowners, companies and museums are protected from this pest and are provided with the best that the industry has to offer. Reference: 1. Arnault, I., Auger, J., Decoux, M., De Reyer, D. Efficiency cmparison of three attractant products against webbing clothes moth Tineoa bisselliella (Hummel)(Lepidoptera: Tineidae) using an adapted four arms olfactometer. [Poster] 10th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection. Estoril, Portugal June 2010. V I S I T U S A T : w w w. i n s e c t s l i m i t e d. c o m
Page 5 Dave s Soapbox (continued from page 3) in 1997 highly resistant borers were discovered in storages in Queensland. Molecular analysis has found that two genes on separate chromosomes control phosphine resistance in lesser grain borers. When resistance genes first appear in a population they are rare and resistant individuals carry only one copy, but may have enough resistance to survive low doses of phosphine. Further fumigations continue to purify the insect population, producing almost entirely resistant strains. Insects with one resistance gene will be 2.5 to 30 times more resistant to phosphine than insects with no resistance genes, depending on where the gene occurs. Insects with both resistance genes are at least 250 times and possibly upward of 600 times more resistant to phosphine than insects with no resistance genes. But the double gene also significantly increases the level of resistance where it occurs. It is not known yet whether the development of resistance in the flat grain beetle follows the same pattern as that of the lesser grain borer. Resistance Testing A same-day test has been developed to provide a rapid confirmation of insect resistance. By introducing the surviving insect with high doses of phosphine for 20 minutes. The potentially resistant insect will continue to move about. If the insect dies in the first few minutes, it is not resistant. Field testing kits are available for phosphine resistance evaluation. Insects Limited has a lab procedure they use to offer advanced resistance testing. Increasing the Dosage Rate and Duration Resistance insects can be controlled as a result of access to the rapid testing and revised fumigation protocols, which are proving effective at killing even the most strongly resistant strains of the species found to-date. These protocols are to apply phosphine at a rate of 720 ppm over seven days. But highly resistant flat grain beetles require phosphine application at 720 ppm over 24 days, or 360 ppm over 30 days to effectively kill all insects. Cost There is a real cost involved with insect resistance resulting from additional customer complaints, shut down time, additional training, and dockage. When food products need to be retreated, it can be expensive. The new sulfuryl flouride fumigant is replacing phosphine in the United States and Australia, but it takes more training, more cost, added application and monitoring equipment, and a high level of expertise. Europe will not Fumigants & Pheromones likely see sulfuryl fluoride grain fumigations for several years. Changing Fumigants To break the chain of resistance with phosphine, a new strategy is being implemented to use sulfuryl fluoride fumigant instead. There are some advantages to fumigating with SF over the solid form of phosphine tablets and pellets: Shorter exposure time (24-48 hours). Ability to add more fumigant from a cylinder if the gas levels drop. No resistance; these insects have not seen this molecule. Sulfuryl fluride is now being used in California for lesser grain borer phosphine resistant insects and Eastern Australia. It is being researched as a way to break the phosphine resistant cycle with 3-4 fumigations and then returning to the less expensive and easier to apply phosphine. For more information about phosphine resistance contact Dr. Pat Collins, the fore most authority on phosphine resistance in the world is p.collins@crcplantbiosecurity.com.au Corrected Chart (Issue 95, page 4) Methyl bromide (tonn) 10,000 9,000 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 22% 3,028 1,212 10% 618 1,236 Non-QPS QPS USA China Japan 45 other industrialized countries Figure 1: Global consumption of methyl bromide (tonnes) for QPS and Non-QPS in USA. China, Japan and other countries. 7% 393 849 11% 1,043 1,075 50% 4,822 4,670 146 other developing countries V I S I T U S A T : w w w. f u m i g a t i o n z o n e. c o m
Fumigants & Pheromones Page 6 Mating Disruption (continued from page 1) Ladder Safety: Everyone s Responsibility Trapped Indianmeal moth female with eggs and Indianmeal moth eggs on a 40 mesh screen. under a microscope to determine if the females are fertile. If eggs are still laid on finished food ready to be shipped to the customer, customer complaints could still occur. It is important to understand that mating disruption is a new addition to the pest management program and not the program itself. This is an excerpt from the book Reducing Customer Complaints in Stored Products by David K. Mueller. www.insectslimited.com. Insects Limited, Inc. was founded in 1982. We discover, synthesize, and distribute products worldwide. On fumigations, more people are injured from ladders each year than from fumigants. Proper ladder selection and the knowledge to use it correctly are key in the safe completion of a job. Here are some key points to follow when using a ladder safely and effectively! Using a Ladder Properly Inspect the ladder for defects before using it. Select a ladder with adequate length and load limits. Place the ladder on a firm and solid surface (Do not position a ladder on top of another object). Do not use metal ladders near electrical lines. Use ladders for their intended purpose. Keep areas around the top and bottom of the ladder clear. Open step ladders fully and lock the spreaders. Set up straight ladders using the 4-to-1 rule (one foot out for every one foot up). Face ladders when ascending and descending. Use both hands to grip the side rails whenever possible. Only one person on a ladder at a time. Don t stand on the top two steps of a stepladder. Materials should be hoisted up once the person has reached the top of the ladder. Work within the side rails of the ladder. Store ladders in designated areas. Ladder Inspections Inspect ladders frequently. Thoroughly examine the ladder for cracks, broken joints, or broken braces. If any of these are found, immediately discontinue the ladder s use and place a DO NOT USE tag on the ladder. Defective ladders must be destroyed and discarded or repaired to their original design by a trained and qualified individual. V I S I T U S A T : w w w. i n s e c t s l i m i t e d. c o m
Page 7 Fumigants & Pheromones Pheromones Am I drawing insects into my collections? By Patrick Kelley, ACE I t s a terrible day when the museum staff member finds evidence of an insect eating away at invaluable and irreplaceable material from their museum collection. Emotions can run high and panic can set in as they try to decide how large the infestation is and where it may be coming from. It is at this critical point, though, that it is best to remain calm and scientifically look at the problem. Sex pheromones can prove to be a very valuable tool to pinpoint infestation sources in the situation above if the identified pest has a commercially available lure. Unfortunately, I have seen many institutions shy away from using pheromones only because they do not have all of the facts about them or they have been misinformed. Pheromone traps, when used correctly, will not draw unwanted pests into an area being monitored. Here are some facts about pheromones: The sex pheromone of common museum pests like cigarette beetles, clothes moths, and carpet beetles will only attract the adult male insect. Sex pheromones that mimic the female insect will never attract a reproductive pair, the damaging larval stage, or a female insect with eggs. The strength of the pheromone is generally not strong enough to pull from outside of the space that you are monitoring. Use the following guidelines to help you use pheromones to monitor and locate sources of damaging insect pests. 1. First identify the insect that you would like to monitor. 2. Make sure that the pest you want to monitor for has a viable, commercially available sex pheromone lure. 3. During the monitoring period, keep the doors shut in the storage area that is being monitored. This will keep any and all pests from adjacent storage areas or outdoors from entering. 4. Keep the pheromone lures at least 15 feet (5 m) away from any door that is being opened on a regular basis. 5. Set up the traps in a grid pattern and once you start receiving numbers in the traps, adjust their locations to help you pinpoint the source. (see the attached figure) 6. After pinpointing an area of infestation, use your eyes and other resources to locate the specific source. How to Use Pheromone Traps to Locate an Infestation V I S I T U S A T : w w w. f u m i g a t i o n z o n e. c o m
Fumigants & Pheromones Page 8 MEETING CALENDAR: ** September 15-17, 2010 International Association of Operative Millers Ohio Valley District Frankenmuth, Michigan * October 6-9, 2010 Association of Midwest Museums (AMM) Annual Conference Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Cleveland, Ohio ** October 19-23, 2010 PestWorld Honolulu, Hawaii See You There! *we will attend, ** we will speak, *** we will organize this meeting *** December 8, 2010 Fumigation Continued Education Program Reducing Customer Complaints Westfield, Indiana * December 12-15, 2010 Entomological Society of America (ESA) San Diego, California *** May, 2012 10th Fumigants & Pheromones Conference and Workshop Indianapolis, IN Longest Snakes Maximum Length Reticulated Python 32 ft Anaconda 28 ft Indian Python 25 ft Diamond Python 21 ft Quotable Quotes If you can give your child only one gift, let it be enthusiasm. Bruce Barton Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm. Ralph Waldo Emerson Boa Constrictor Bushmaster Giant Brown Snake Diamondback Rattlesnake 16 ft 12 ft 11 ft 9 ft Fumigants & Pheromones is published by Fumigation Service & Supply, Inc. and Insects Limited, Inc. We hope that the information that you receive from this newsletter will help you in your business, and you, in turn, will support our business efforts. If you have an associate who would be interested in receiving this newsletter, please contact the address below. We would welcome any comments or suggestions for topics. Address correspondence to: Kalah Schmitz, Fumigation Service & Supply, Inc., 16950 Westfield Park Rd., Westfield, IN 46074 USA. Fumigation Service & Supply, Inc. 16950 Westfield Park Road Westfield, IN 46074-9374 USA (1) 317-896-9300 e-mail: insectsltd@aol.com websites: www.insectslimited.com websites: www.fumigationzone.com Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Carmel, Indiana Permit #14 Copyright 2010 Fumigation Service & Supply, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without permission of the editor. Attention Mailroom Personnel (or Addressee) Please Reroute if Necessary V I S I T U S A T : w w w. i n s e c t s l i m i t e d. c o m