Weevil is a dangerous barn pest of grain. Methods and means of combating weevils and other pests

There are several proven remedies for fighting barn weevils, such as garlic and nutmeg. What an insect looks like can be seen in the photo.

It is not immediately possible to discover that an insidious barn weevil has settled in household stocks of cereals and other bulk products. In adulthood, these insects are no more than 4 mm long, and at the stage of the larvae they generally remain invisible, but they bring colossal harm, therefore, they must be destroyed immediately as soon as the first signs appear.

What is the danger of weevils?

The external image of the weevil, as evidenced by the photo, is characterized by a dark brown color, underdeveloped wings, which exclude the possibility of their flights, but do not limit the speed of movement. Favorite habitats - lumpy flour, pasta different types, cereals, whole grain... Fertility is quite high, at the same time the female produces about 300 eggs.

It is impossible to see the hatched larvae (this takes 6-12 days after the end of the laying process), since they appear inside the grains.

This is due to the fact that the female weevil prepares a depression in them, where it puts the eggs, one in each individual grain. After filling the holes with her own secretions, she ensures absolute safety for future offspring.

After emergence and before the time of pupation, the larvae completely gnaw out the inner contents of the grain. They have a translucent whitish body, very small size, therefore, upon close examination, they can be detected only at dark background, for example, in buckwheat or dried fruits. An adult weevil comes out of the pupa, having made a hole for itself, and an empty shell remains in the bag, and with a large number of them, the product is completely spoiled. Below is a photo of an insect.

Adults also bring harm, which gnaw through with their sharp teeth irregular shape cavities outside the grain. They easily fall into other packages, even tightly closed ones, by making holes. These damages are detected earlier, and they should serve as a signal to take urgent measures to completely eliminate the pest in order to prevent its mass spread. Spoiled products are removed from circulation. The main pathway for the weevil to enter the home is through the purchase of contaminated cereals or pasta.

Insect control techniques

Knowledge of the weevils' vital activity and their response to changes external conditions led to the use of several methods to help save household provisions.

The very first action in establishing the presence of dark brown small insects in the closet is the ruthless destruction of all supplies, since it will not be possible to separate the infected and clean packages with one hundred percent probability.
Exposing heat-loving beetles to cold has been suggested by some as a preventative measure. To do this, products that usually serve as a shelter for weevils are placed in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator after purchase. Already at + 5 ° C, vital activity slows down, and at -5 ° C, all forms of the pest die within a month. It makes no sense to save heavily contaminated supplies in this way, since they are dangerous for consumption.
An effective method of struggle that allows you to destroy the weevil is the preliminary heating of cereals and other types of bulk products, for which this action will not harm, in the oven before being sent to the cabinet for storage. To do this, it is enough to withstand them for six hours at + 60 ° C.
It is advisable to put processed and dried products for storage in resealable containers made of glass or durable plastic.

Every housewife can successfully apply simple preventive measures so that the barn weevil does not have the opportunity to reproduce. And this will require quite affordable means.

Periodically, the inside of the cabinets is treated with a solution laundry soap followed by washing with a low concentration of vinegar solution.
Laurel leaves are laid out on the washed shelves after drying.
Peas, beans will save hot pepper in dried form, if it is immediately placed with these products in a container with dense walls.

Whole, pre-peeled cloves of garlic are placed in containers in parallel with the products, and two or three nutmegs can also be placed there. Weevils still do not like the smell of lavender and carnation.

Large stocks are at the main risk of contamination. At home, such a practice should be excluded so that, due to one type of food that has undergone a weevil settlement, it does not lose the entire range of cereals, flour, dried fruits, pasta.

In May 2017 employees of the Rosselkhoznadzor Administration for the Kostroma and Ivanovo regions revealed a batch of grain in the amount of 1000 tons, contaminated with pests of grain stocks - barn weevil. The contaminated grain - feed wheat, was delivered by rail from the Penza region to the address of the poultry factory in the Ivanovo region. In accordance with the requirements of the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union TR CU 015/2011 "On the safety of grain", contaminated grain was not admitted to the enterprise, but returned to the supplier.

Problems with pests of grain stocks of grain and products of its processing have appeared since then, as soon as people learned to grow crops.So, even the ancient Egyptians and Romans with displeasure found beetles in their granaries that spoiled their food, and still pose a threat to barns around the world.

One of the main and most dangerous pests of grain crops (barley, rice, rye, wheat, buckwheat, corn), which can make stocks unusable both in the kitchen of one family and in huge grain storage facilities, isgranary weevil.

Barn weevil develops inside the grain, completely eating awayNS ndosperm. If ten weevils are counted in a kilogram of grain, it means that in a batch of 1,000 tons, weevils and their offspring have already eaten 3.4 tons of grain.

The grain infected with larvae looks quite normal. But, inside the grain in the void are the remains of the vital activity of insect larvae. The grain becomes poisonous and unsuitable for food. Contaminated grains cannot be removed during grinding, so at timesground, they are contained inflour.

The barn weevil can infect dried apricots, prunes, dried apples, raisins, eats cereals, flour and pasta. Products spoiled by a weevil are brought from warehouses with improper storage conditions to store shelves, and in turn, like food, they can get into any family.

Contaminated bread, cereals, pasta, dried fruits, getting into a person's stomach, can cause serious harm to health, causing allergic reactions and acute gastric diseases.

It is not immediately possible to find a barn weevil in home stocks of cereals and in other bulk products. In adulthood, these insects are no more than 4 mm long, and at the stage of the larvae they generally remain invisible, but they bring colossal harm, therefore, it is necessary to fight the infection of grain and its processed products immediately, as soon as the first signs appear.

How to deal with this dangerous pest, like a barn weevil, at home? Infected cereals and grain can be fed to poultry and animals, but if there are still a lot of bugs, then it is better to destroy it and take a number of preventive measures. First of all, you need to processa solution of laundry soap, followed by washing with a vinegar solution of low concentrationall inner surfaces cabinets. Put loose products in jars or hermetically sealed containers - not in bags that the granary weevil can easily gnaw through with its sharp teeth. The weevil is afraid of pungent odors, so you can put cloves of garlic next to the products, and put lavender, cloves, nutmeg on the shelves. Store products in a cool place with limited access to light according to the indicated expiration dates. Make stocks in small quantities for 2-3 months.

Since people learned to grow grain, they have had problems with pests in their stocks. So, even the ancient Egyptians and Romans with displeasure found beetles in their granaries, which spoiled their food. These nasty cosmopolitan insects still pose a threat to barns around the world.

Let us consider in more detail what a barn, aka grain, weevil is. Like all beetles, the weevil belongs to the order of coleoptera. It got its name from the characteristic shape of the head. And this is not without reason: at the end of the so-called rostrum there is a gnawing type of mouth apparatus, with the help of which the pest is introduced into the soft parts of the grain.

Life cycle

The beetle is gluttonous and omnivorous, it infects any grain and legumes: rice, buckwheat, wheat, beans, peas, etc. The greatest damage to products is caused by its larva. This pale, worm-like creature is 3-4 mm long. On the anterior segment of the body, it has short legs and a head equipped with mandibles.

Having barely hatched from an egg, the larva immediately bites into the grain and eats it almost to the shell.

Depending on the temperature, the larva is engaged in its destructive activity from twenty days to three months, after which it pupates in a chamber, which it makes in advance and clogs it with its excrement.

In a pupal state, the insect can also conduct different time- from one week to three.

The pupa resembles an adult: it has six legs, thin wings, and reduced elytra; by the way, growing up, the beetle cannot fly. Having matured, the insect gnaws at itself a way out and leaves the grain in which it developed.

Sexually mature beetles (adults) also damage grain reserves. Their life expectancy is quite significant - up to one and a half years. Considering that a female weevil can lay up to 250 eggs, one can imagine the damage this beetle inflicts. An adult has an oblong body with a length of 3.5 to 4.5 mm. The chitinous cover of juveniles is light brown; it darkens with age.

Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed: in the female, the abdomen is straight, and in the male, the abdominal segment is bent downward. Gnawing a hole in the grain, the female lays one egg at the bottom, and so many times in a row. The egg chamber is covered with a thin film on top. This is hardened mucus. After a week or two, the larva hatches from the egg, and the life cycle of the pest repeats.

Advantages and disadvantages

Weevil is a creature extremely adapted to changing conditions external environment. It feels comfortable in a temperature range of 16 to 28 degrees, but can withstand more extreme temperatures. To humidity the environment he is also not demanding, since he spends most of his life inside the grain under the protection of its dense shell - exine. However, too dry air is destructive for most insects, including the weevil.

Duration life cycle beetle depends on external conditions: the softer they are, the faster the insect reaches sexual maturity. If temperature regime does not suit him, then the pest is able to fall into suspended animation, in order to then return to a fulfilling life... Thus, the pest is capable of producing 2-3 generations per year. Both beetles and larvae hibernate inside the grains. Also, adult insects feel good in crevices, cracks and other secluded places.

Together with the damaged grain, as well as with the equipment, weevils wander from one storehouse to another, affecting agricultural products.

Since a person is forced to endure the presence of a weevil in his barns, he has developed a strategy to combat this pest. For prevention, the following are used:

cooling or, conversely, warming up grain and products of its processing before storage;
drying it out, because insects are critical to the humidity of the environment;
cleaning grain from debris and impurities;
cleaning of storage facilities and treatment by means of disinfestation. For this, preparations are used based on hydrogen phosphide (phosphine), which are sprayed or used in the form of an aqueous solution;
the use of ionizing radiation is at the stage of development and, possibly, will be used in the future.

Weevil starts not only in barns, but also in our home. To ensure that the beetle does not spoil our stocks, there are proven and harmless methods:

place the cereal in the freezer for a while, and then pour it into airtight containers;
since the insect does not tolerate pungent odors, you can put peeled cloves of garlic in the cereal, Bay leaf either sprigs of lavender;
cabinets where you store supplies should be washed with soap, soda or vinegar solution and ventilated well.

And, finally, you should not store cereals and pasta half your life ahead: the fight against a harmful beetle can become too long and exhausting at home.

Text: Gennady Zakladnoy, Doctor of Biological Sciences, prof.

Save the grain

Last hot summer, grain was stored at temperatures over 30 ° C. The most paradise for insects. Moreover, because of the grain embargo in force at that time, there was a lot of grain. It turned out to be very difficult to manage its storage, and it was especially difficult to protect it from six-legged gluttons.

One of worst enemies grains - weevil. Outside, the grain may look completely normal, but inside the grain of wheat, the larva of the rice weevil has already finished feeding and has turned into a pupa, which will soon give birth to a new beetle. The endosperm is completely eaten away, there is nothing for the embryo of the grain to feed on, there is nothing to make flour from. Inside the caryopsis there are insect "meat", excrement, molted skins, uric acid and other secretions. The grain has become unsuitable for food, poisonous.

For each beetle of the rice weevil, there are 80 such weevils in the grain mass with a hidden damage to its offspring.

These grains cannot be removed by grinding, therefore, when ground, they are contained in the flour from which bread is baked. We not only eat this bread ourselves, but also feed our children with it. At the same time, grain affected by insects is dangerous not only for humans. All pets, especially young animals, will suffer from this “diet”.

In experiments with rats fed with grain contaminated by insects, amino acid metabolism in the body was suppressed, the level of hemoglobin and erythrocytes decreased, vascular permeability increased, the kidneys, liver, and intestines looked dystrophic.

If ten weevils were counted in a kilogram of grain, it means that in a batch of 1,000 tons, they and their offspring have already eaten 3.4 tons of grain. When grinding such wheat, you will still not get 4 tons of flour.

According to my estimates, Russia grows more than five million tons of grain annually to feed insects. The cost of grain eaten by insects in our country reaches 35 billion rubles. in year. How many people are poisoned, eating food from grain contaminated with insects, no one counted. The cost of exterminating insects in this grain at average market prices for these services would amount to only 0.1 billion rubles. Hence, one ruble invested in the fight against insects brings about 350 rubles. profit (savings). That is why it is necessary in every possible way to get rid of insects in the grain.

One ruble invested in the fight against insects brings about 350 rubles. arrived
You can invite firms that offer their services for the disinfestation of grain, although this is not a cheap pleasure. However, you need to know that these firms also save. And worst of all - teaching people. People who have not undergone special training do not know either the peculiarities of granaries and grain processing enterprises, or the properties of the grain mass, or the processes occurring in the grain, or the peculiarities of the effect of poisons on insect populations and grain, or the necessary normative documents, no technology, no equipment, no methods of analysis of poisons, no security measures. They do not meet today's requirements for sanitary rules and regulations for workers in this profile, do not have the appropriate permits. Unknowingly, they often violate the Law on the Safe Handling of Pesticides and Agrochemicals. My assessment of such facts is a crime, because they lead to the poisoning of innocent people. When inviting firms for treatments, demand proof of their competence so as not to become complicit in their ignorance.

The best way out for enterprises is to train their people and do all the work on their own. Nowadays, many businesses are following this path.

Requirements for persons who can be allowed to work with pesticides are defined in SanPiN 1.2.2584-10. They boil down to the following: men must be at least 18 years old, women - 35 years old. These people need to undergo a medical examination, hygienic training on safety measures and rules for providing first aid, as well as special vocational training. Moreover, I would advise you not to limit yourself to training only people who will directly carry out pest control work.

I am sure that it is useful to attend these seminars for the heads of the PTL, and the heads of shops, and the chief engineers, and directors of enterprises, as well as grain producers who store it in their bins. It is useful to listen to this course for teachers of specialized universities and colleges.

And this is served to us at the table

One of the most common pests of grain and grain products is rice weevil and barn weevil. With a massive congestion, insects can make it unusable from stocks of cereals in a person's house to huge grain storage facilities.

Description

The family of weevils has a total of more than 50 thousand species. The closest people to settle are: rice and barn weevils.

Barn beetle It has small size(up to 4 mm), color: dark brown, underdeveloped wings. The insect cannot fly, but this does not prevent it from settling with great speed.

A pest of grains of wheat, barley, rye, rice (in some cases, corn and buckwheat). WITH great success settles in pasta and flour.

Length 2.3-3.5 mm, color: black-brown or dark brown, matte surface. On each elytron there are two bright spots, strewn with specks and grooves; the beetle has hind wings and can fly perfectly.

It got its name from the fact that it was first discovered in rice. It also damages barley, wheat, flour, rye, corn, pasta bran, dry apples, crackers, biscuits, bread, and even tobacco products.

How do they reproduce

The breeding process of beetles is quite interesting, the female beetle gnaws a small hole in each grain, lays an egg there and, upon completion of the clutch, covers up the gap. Thus, the female lays up to 300 eggs. The pupation process takes place in this grain. The developed beetle gnaws a passage in the shell and leaves the shelter.

The whole mystery of the transformation of an egg into a larva, and then into a beetle occurs in the grain, so we can already observe only adult individuals of beetles.

Rice weevils are more fertile than barn weevils, so the female lays up to 500 eggs at a time. The process of laying and the whole process of development in these species of beetles is identical.

Dear visitors, save this article in social networks... We publish very useful articles to help you in your business. Share! Click!

How to fight at home

If the weevil is found in cereals, then it is not advisable to eat it, since the secretions of insects and larvae contain carcinogens. You should throw away the cereals and think about how to get the weevils out of the kitchen.

If you notice at least one bug in your kitchen, check all the places and containers with cereals, flour, pasta. Discard any contaminated food found immediately.
The weevil beetle has sharp enough teeth, with which it can easily gnaw through bags or sacks of cereals, so store all loose cereals in separate hermetically sealed containers or jars.
Bugs are heat-loving insects. At a temperature of + 5 ° C, they fall into a daze, and when the air temperature drops to -5 ° C, all beetles, eggs and their larvae will die in a month. Use cold as a preventive measure. If a beetle is found in the kitchen, put everything that can serve as food for it in freezer for 2-3 days, if it's winter outside, just take it out to the balcony (for quarantine).
You can do the same with food you just brought home from a store or market.
You can also fight insects by heating. At a temperature of +40 ° C, insects die within 2 days, increasing the temperature to +50 ° C, the pests will die within 6 hours. You can get rid of insects by heating food products, cereals in the oven at a temperature of + 50-60 ° C.
After processing, place the food in glass or plastic cans, with tight lids, through which insects cannot penetrate.
Try to fight the weevils with garlic. Peel but do not cut the garlic cloves. Place them in the container where you store the cereals. Insects are affected by repellent odors.
For prevention, regularly treat cabinets and cabinets where food is stored with a soapy solution with the addition of vinegar.
Also, lavender flowers and bay leaves, which can be simply laid out on the shelves, will help you in the fight.
Do not make large stocks of cereals, flour and other products. Purchase them as you use them. Thus, it will be easier to track pest infestation and carry out prevention.

These simple tips help you get rid of the weevil beetles in enough short time, and preventive measures will save you from their reappearance.

Industrial Pest Control

Every year in granaries due to pests that damage grain and grain products, there are losses from 10 to 30% of harvested grain.

To combat pests of grain stocks in granaries, the following activities are carried out:

Physical and mechanical method (heat treatment: cooling, heating, cleaning grain and processed products);
Chemical method (disinfection of food products with insecticides by fumigation and spraying of grain);

Preventive measures

Compliance with good condition and cleanliness in warehouses.
Chemical treatment of premises (method of gas disinfestation, wet and aerosol disinfection of premises).

And a little about secrets ...

Have you ever experienced unbearable joint pain? And you know firsthand what it is:

inability to move easily and comfortably;
discomfort when going up and down stairs;
unpleasant crunching, clicking not on their own;
pain during or after exercise;
joint inflammation and swelling;
unreasonable and sometimes unbearable aching pain in the joints ...

Now answer the question: does this suit you? How can you endure such pain? And how much money have you already spent on ineffective treatment? That's right - it's time to end it! Do you agree? That is why we decided to publish an exclusive interview with professor Dikul, in which he revealed the secrets of getting rid of joint pain, arthritis and arthrosis.