Monitoring and detection of stored product pests in warehouses and grain elevators and its impact on control strategies

Integrated pest management (IPM) is a comprehensive preventative and management program intended to protect stored products from farm to fork. IPM is a decision-making process that involves inputs of pest prevention, monitoring activities for pests and/or their damage, use of monitoring data to make a decision about pest control, and application of one or more mitigation practices if the need for such control is determined from monitoring information.
Careful monitoring and detection of insect presence inside and outside of storage bins, warehouses, and food processing facilities will help to identify species present, foci of their location, and current population levels. As the trapping or monitoring data changes, pest managers can use this information to determine if corrective actions are needed and what type of control strategies are needed to curb the infestation.
Corrective actions for stored product insect infestations include physical, mechanical, and chemical control methods to prevent, reduce or eliminate the infestation. The proper balance and use of these strategies, in combination with active monitoring, are key to a successful IPM program to maintain the overall safety of our stored products.