Future trends for stored product pest control

Abstract: The control of stored product insects and mites relies heavily on the use of chemical pesticides. Concerns over pesticide residues in food and the environmental impact of some of the chemicals used prompted research for alternative methods to protect stored crops from infestation. Chemical, physical and biological methods have been studied. Best practice in the UK currently uses an integrated approach for invertebrate pest control with physical methods (cooling and drying) a core component of the strategy. More recently changes to pesticide legislation in the European Union and concerns over resistance of insects and mites to commonly used insecticides have added to the need to develop alternative strategies. Significant developments have been made in some areas, particularly for control of insects using entomopathogenic fungi. This research has progressed from the initial identification of an isolate of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana through laboratory testing and field scale applications, culminating in the EU Annex 1 submission by Exosect Ltd. in 2014. In this presentation the latest developments in this research will be reviewed and the prospects for other novel control methods for the future will be discussed.