Development of Integrated Pest Management of Stored-Product Pests for a Food Processing Plant

Abstract: In December 2008, a study was conducted to determine whether three types ofpackaging used by a food processing plant could be breached by Indianmeal moth (IMM), Plodiainterpunctella (Huebner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae. In another study, an assessment ofintegrated pest management (IPM) practices used by the food processing plant for the control ofstored-product pests was conducted. In the IPM study, sampling of all areas on the ground floorof the food processing plant was conducted for approximately 1 yr from March 30, 2009 toFebruary 15, 2010. The goal of sampling was to enable the improvement of IPM measures thatexisted at the start of the study or the development new IPM practices. Sampling was conductedto detect stored-product pests that would be expected to be present at the plant. Samplingprovided data on the incidence of pests in different areas of the plant at different times of theyear. To accomplish the sampling, 29 and 22 locations for IMM pheromone baited flight trapswere used inside and outside the plant, respectively; 29 locations for Dome™ traps were alsoused and these were near IMM flight trap locations inside the plant. Storgard® II Traps andDome™ Traps were used to sample IMM and stored-product beetle pests, respectively. Datashowed that 64% of all IMM trapped outside the plant were found in traps located in the southernperimeter fence. In addition, data showed that 91% of the beetles sampled were found in trapslocated in three adjacent positions inside the plant. The packaging penetration and insectsampling data and implications of these data for stored-product pest management in the foodprocessing plant are discussed.