PESTS OF STORED GRAIN

Grain in storage is subject to depredations of insects, mites, rodents, birds and moulds
of which insects account for huge losses. In India losses during post harvest handling and
storage estimated at 15 % annually. FAO estimate of total world losses in storage is 10%
annually. Out of total storage in India 65 to 70 % being stored at farmers level and 30 to 35 %
by traders and Government agencies. Pests of stored grain causes different types of losses,
namely, weight loss, food loss, quantity loss, monetory loss, loss of good will and seed loss.

These losses are caused by:

1. External / Physical factors like temperature, light, moisture

2. Internal / biotic factors like insects, mites, rodents, birds etc.

Sources of infestation

1. Field infestation: rice weevil, bruchid, grain moth.

2. Migration from infested sources: rice weevil, red flour beetle, grain moth.

3. Wooden or bamboo granaries, floor cracks and crevices.

4. Bins, old gunnies with grains.

5. Nearness to feed rooms and other stock of feed.

6. Seed received from infested sources.

7. Waste grain or seed

8. Temporary storage in villages

9. Grain stored in open or poorly constructed structures.

10. During transport

 Types of infestation
1. Hidden infestation (Field infestation): Insects like Bruchids, Sitotroga fly from
stores to field and lay eggs on maturing grains or pods which hatch out in favourable
condition when grain reaches stores. This is termed as hidden infestation.
 2. Cross infestation: Insects from old stocks / grain lying in cracks and crevices in
emptied godowns and containers crawl or fly to fresh stocks, and infest them. This is
termed as cross infestation.

Insects that damage stored grain can broadly be placed in two groups as follows

STORED GRAIN INSECT PESTS

Hard bodied beetles Soft bodied moths

Internal feeders Internal feeders

 Grain weevil · ◦Grain moth

 Lesser grain borer
 Khapra beetle
 Pulse beetle
 Groundnut bruchid

External feeders External feeder

 Red flour beetle ◦Rice moth

 Saw toothed beetle
 Cigarette beetle

MITES

Preventive measures

1. Dry the grains properly before storage.

2. Plug all cracks, crevices and holes in the godowns thoroughly.

3. Store new grains in the clean godowns or receptacles.

4. Use new gunny bags.

5. Disinfect empty godowns or receptacles by spraying 0.05% malathion emulsion (100

ml Malathion 50 EC in 10 litres of water) on the floor, walls and ceiling or fumigate the
godowns using 25 tablets of aluminium phosphide per 100 cum of empty space before
storing the grains. Exposure 7 days.

6. Against dhora, cover the pulses stored in bulk with 7 cm layer of sand or sawdust or
dung ash.

Curative measures

1. Phostoxin or Delicia or Celphos (aluminium phosphide) one tablet of 3 g per tonne or

25 tablets per 100 cum space. Exposure 7 days.

Caution/limitation

 Before storing, the metal bins should be cleaned and placed in the sun for 2-3 days.
 Grains stored in metal bin also get infested if not treated with any insecticide. Control
this infestation by giving fumigation.
 Where there is infestation of Khapra, use double the dose of aluminium phosphide.
 The fumigant should be only used in air-tight stores or under tarpaulins in the open by
specially trained persons because these fumigants are deadly poisonous.
 BIRDS ASSOCIATED WITH CROPS AND STORED GRAINS

Birds are among the most adaptive creatures on Earth, belonging to the class Aves
and phylum Chordata. While they play vital ecological roles, certain bird species have
become persistent pests in agricultural and storage systems. Since the advent of organized
agriculture, birds have posed significant challenges to farmers by damaging crops, consuming
grains, and contaminating stored produce. Estimates indicate that birds can cause up to 25–
75% losses in key crops such as maize, wheat, and fruits like cherries and grapes.

In storage facilities, bird pests damage grains by pecking holes, causing spillage, and
collapsing stacks of stored bags. Their nests serve as breeding grounds for mites and lice,
further exacerbating storage issues..

Major Bird Pests of Stored Grain

1. Crow (Corvus splendens)

 Order: Passeriformes

 Family: Corvidae

 Nature of Damage: Spillage, contamination, seed removal in fields, structural

damage to sacks.

2. Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

 Order: Passeriformes

 Family: Ploceidae

 Nature of Damage: Granivorous, damages bag storage and contaminates with

droppings and feathers.

3. Pigeon (Columba livia)

 Order: Columbiformes

 Family: Columbidae
  Nature of Damage: Feeds on stored grains, contaminates with droppings, and
spreads diseases like Salmonella.

4. Parrot (Psittacula krameria)

 Order: Psittaciformes

 Family: Psittacidae

 Nature of Damage: Attacks ripening crops and grains in open storage.

Impact of Bird Pests on Stored Grains

Birds can cause extensive damage to stored grains through:

1. Pecking of sacks leading to spillage.

2. Nesting inside buildings and causing blockages.

3. Contamination with droppings, feathers, and decaying bodies.

4. Spreading diseases like Histoplasmosis, Cryptococcosis, and Aspergillosis

MANAGEMENT OF RODENTS AND BIRDS

A. Management of Rodents

Rats and mice are the most serious pests of crops and must be controlled. By virtue of
their extremely adaptable nature, highly intelligent patterns of behaviour and tremendous
potential to multiply, they maintain their large populations which cause extensive damage
in crop fields and other premises. They cause more damage at seedling and ripening
stages of the crops. The performance of different control methods vary in different
situations and at different stages of the crop. The best control success can only be
achieved if these methods are adopted properly at appropriate timings.

Methods of Control:

i.) Mechanical Control

• Killing: During irrigation of vacant harvested fields, rats coming out of flooded burrows
may be killed with sticks.
• Trapping: In crop fields place 16 traps/acre covering runways, damage and activity
sites of rodents. In houses, godowns, poultry farms etc., set traps (1 trap/4-8 m 2 area)
along the walls, in corners, behind the storage bins and boxes etc. Kill the trapped rats by
drowning in water and the interval between two trappings at the same location should not
be less than 30 days. Do not place the traps at the same place again and again.

ii.) Cultural Control

Weeds, grasses and bushes should be removed from the fields as these provide shelter
and food to rats and mice. Highly infested bunds, water channels and field pavements
should be periodically rebuilt to destroy permanent rat burrows. Keep the height and
width of bunds to minimum and avoid crop lodging.

iii.) Biological Control

Owls, kites, hawks, falcons, eagles, snakes, monitor lizards, cats, mongoose etc. are
the natural predators of rats and mice. These should be protected.

iv.) Chemical Control

Poison Bait Preparation

The acceptance of poison baits by rats and mice depends upon the quality, texture,
taste and odour of the baiting materials, therefore, bait should be prepared as under:

• Zinc phosphide bait (2%): Take 1 kg of bajra or sorghum or cracked wheat or

theirmixture and mix it thoroughly with 20 g of edible vegetable oil, 20 g of powdered
sugar and 25 g of 80% zinc phosphide powder. Minimum interval between two baitings
of zinc phosphide must be 2 months. To increase the acceptance and efficacy of zinc
phosphide bait, do pre-baiting. For this place bajra or sorghum or cracked wheat or their
mixture smeared with oil and powdered sugar @ 400g/acre at 40 bait points on pieces of
paper for 2-3 days.

• Bromadiolone bait (0.005%): Take 1 kg of bajra or sorghum or cracked wheat or their

mixture or flour and mix it thoroughly with 20 g of edible vegetable oil, 20 g of powdered
sugar and 20 g of 0.25% bromadiolone powder.

Village Level Campaign

 Control of rats and mice in smaller areas usually becomes ineffective due to their
migration from the surrounding untreated fields. Therefore, for better results village level
anti-rat campaigns, to cover maximum possible area, both cultivated and uncultivated,
should be organized.

Rodent Proof Storage Structure

For rodent proofing of cover and plinth storage structure made under outdoor bulk
grain storage conditions, built plinth at a height of 2.5 feet from ground level and extend
platform by one foot from all the four sides of the plinth.

B. Management of Birds

Birds, in general, are both useful and harmful to agriculture. Even the same species
may be beneficial or problematic in different situations. Only a few of about 300 species
of birds of Punjab cause problems in crop fields and granaries. The rose–ringed parakeet
is the only bird that seems to be exclusively harmful to farmers’ interests.

Harmful Birds: Parakeet is the major bird pest causing serious damage to almost all
cereal crops. It is particularly harmful to sunflower. House crows damage sprouting
maize, sunflower and maturing maize. Doves and pigeons damage pulses. Sparrow and
weaver birds damage stored grains at shellers and godowns. These birds also damage rice
nurseries and maturing bajra and sorghum.

Management Techniques for Harmful Birds

a. Mechanical Control:

• Use crackers to scare the birds at different intervals.

• Fixing of scare crows: Position, direction and the dress of the scare crow should be
changed at least at 10 days interval. The height of the scare crow should be 1 meter above
from the crop height.

• Use automatic bird scarers by shifting their position periodically and supplementing
their noise with other simple method like use of rope crackers. It involves tying of sets of
small fire crackers at a distance of 6-8 inches apart and igniting it from the lower end. The
explosions caused by the fire crackers on catching fire at different intervals scare the birds
 feeding on sproutings. Fix up the rope crackers in the centre of the field during sprouting
stage whereas in maturing crops fix the rope on a stick in the periphery of the field.

b. Cultural Practices

• The traditional practices of planting 2-3 border rows of less costly crops like millet,
maize and dhaincha equally preferred by birds will reduce the bird pressure to the inside
sown cash crops particularly sunflower and maize etc. Moreover, planting of these crops
also act as physical barriers/ wind breakers and help in preventing lodging of crops during
stormy/rainy days.

• As far as possible sowing of maize and sunflower crop should be avoided at sites most
frequently visited by birds or where there are more resting sites like trees, electric wires,
buildings etc.

• To prevent parakeet damage in sunflower and maize crops sowing should be

discouraged in small block areas, at least 2-3 acre block area is more suitable, for
lessening bird damage pressure because parakeet avoid feeding /venturing in the core of
the field.

c. Alarming Calls

Playing of CD of distress or flock calls of parakeets and crows respectively at peak

volume for ½ hr twice each in the morning between 7.00 to 9.00 a.m. and in the evening
at 5.00 to 7.00 p.m. respectively, with a pause of 1 hour, scare the birds or halt their
activities for full day in the freshly sown, emerging or maturing crop fields and in
orchards. Use of distress or flock calls remain effective for 15-20 days.

Better results can be obtained by using this technique in sequence or in combination

with other methods as an integrated pest management. For covering larger area use of
amplifier and additional speakers as per requirement can be done.

d. Biological Control

Biological control involves the introduction of natural predators such as hawks and
falcons to reduce bird pest populations in storage areas. These raptors prey on nuisance birds
like pigeons, sparrows, and crows, effectively deterring them from roosting and feeding. The
presence of predators disrupts bird activity, providing an eco-friendly and sustainable method
of pest management. This approach minimizes reliance on chemical repellents and preserves
ecological balance while safeguarding stored grains.

e. Chemical Control

Chemical control involves the use of bird repellents such as methyl anthranilate, a
food-grade compound that acts as an irritant to birds without causing harm. It deters birds by
targeting their trigeminal receptors, leading to discomfort when inhaled or ingested.
However, its application must be carefully regulated to ensure compliance with food safety
standards and prevent contamination of stored grains. Proper dosage and targeted use are
essential to minimize risks to nontarget organisms and maintain product quality.
 INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF STORED PRODUCE PESTS

The control methods of stored produce pests can be categorized into preventive and curative
measures.

SANITATION AND AERATION

Hygiene or sanitation inside and outside the godowns

 Sanitation inside the godowns

1. Necessary repairs like arresting roof and cable wall leakage, replacement of damaged
sheets, securing windows and ventilators with wire mesh shall be done to make the
godowns storage worthy.
2. Before storage of commodities inside the godown ensure that the godown is well
cleaned. Godowns shall be cleaned thoroughly to avoid any residual infestation
3. Empty godown shall be kept clean & tidy free from any harbouring insects, cobwebs,
spiders and other pests
4. Floor sweeping has to be done on regular basis and spillages has to be collected on
day-to-day basis, cleaned and bagged to mother stack.
5. Wall cleaning has to be done. No cracks and crevices should be there in wall to avoid
harboring of pests.
6. Cob webs removal has to be done regularly to improve the hygiene condition inside
the godown
7. Disposal of waste / damaged grains has to be done timely to avoid further
deterioration and pest multiplication.
8. Sacks / gunnies used shall be sound enough. The cut and torn portions has to be
stitched and closed.
9. Ventilators & windows secured with wire mesh to prevent the escape of insects
during prophylactic spraying with insecticides.
10. Roof leakages and cable wall leakages have to be arrested immediately to avoid entry
of rain water. The rain water can soak the grains leading to sprouting or decrease in
bulk density of grains makes it unsuitable for storage.
11. Proper Stacking is very much required to take up spraying and fumigation operations
inside the godown.
12. Sufficient gap should be given from the walls, stack to stack, Passage etc. Material
should not be stored on the floor
13. Proper Dunnage - timber pallets/Poly pallets/ or Bamboo mats or black polythene
sheets can be used.
14. Goods of different classes or grades or quality have to be stored separately and
arranged in such a way that stock taking and verification becomes easy and effective.

 Sanitation outside the godowns

1. Clean platform – The platforms where loading and unloading operations happens has
to be clean without any spillages. If there are spillages will attract storage insects and
rodents and will result in damage of grains and pest multiplication.
2. No steps should be kept in the platform for having entry to godowns. Keeping the
steps will make the platform not rodent free. The rodents will have easy access and
movement into the godowns.
3. Clean roads – Keeping the roads inside the warehouse premises is an important
measure to avoid harborage of pests and also for easy movement of trucks.
4. Dumping wastes – No waste has to be thrown here and there in the warehouse
premises. The wastes and damaged grains have to be disposed of safely by following
laid down procedures.
5. Vegetation free – The warehouse premises should not be occupied by green
vegetation. Vegetative growth should be removed at periodical intervals to keep the
depot premises free from insect breeding, reptiles, bird nests, rat burrows and to
ensure overall hygienic condition. One can do away the control of vegetation by spray
of Glyphosate SL.
6. The vegetation like small trees that are growing on the top roof and side wall of
godowns / building shall be periodically removed to avoid damage to the structures.
7. No spillage should be on roads and platforms to avoid attraction of insects and
rodents.
8. Proper drainage system should be in place to avoid flooding of godowns and damage
of stocks during rainy season.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES

• Brush the cracks, crevices and corners to remove all debris in the godown.

• Clean and maintain the threshing floor/yard free from insect infection and away from the
vicinity of villages.

• Clean the machines like harvester and thresher before their use.

• Made the trucks, trolleys or bullock carts free from infestation.

• Clean the godowns/ storage structures before storing the newly harvested crop to eliminate
various bio stages of pest hiding.

• Provide a metal sheet upto a height of 25 cm at the bottom of the wood in doors to arrest the
entry of rats.

• Fix up wire meshes to windows, ventilators, gutters, drains etc., to prevent entry of rats,
birds and squirrels.

• Remove and destroy dirt, rubbish, sweepings and webbings etc from the stores.

• Close all the rat burrows found in godown with a mixture of broken glass pieces and mud
plastered with mud/ cement.

• Plaster the cracks, crevices, holes found on walls, and floors with mud or cement and white
wash the stores before storing of grains.

• Provide dunnage leaving gangway or alleyway of 0.75 to 1 m all around to maintain good
storage condition.

• Store the food grains in rat and moisture proof storage structures.

• Disinfest the storage structures receptacles by spraying malathion 50 EC @ 3 lit 100m

before their use.

CURATIVE MEASURES
i) Ecological methods

• Manipulate the ecological factors like temperature, moisture content and oxygen through
design and construction of storage structures/ godown and storage to create ecological
conditions unfavourable for attack by insects.

• Temperature above 420 C and below 150 C retards reproduction and development of insect
while prolonged temperature above 450 C and below 100 C may kill the insects.

• Dry the produce to have moisture content below 10% to prevent the buildup of pests.

• Kill the pests bio stages harbored in the storage bags, bins etc., by drying in the sun light.

• Store the grains at around 10 % moisture content to escape from the insects attack.

• Manipulate and reduce oxygen level by 1% to increase the CO 2 level automatically, which
will be lethal to all the stages of insects.

ii) Physical methods

• Provide a super heating system by infrared heaters in the floor mills and food processing
plants to obtain effective control of pests since mostly the stored produce insects die at 55 –
600 C in 10 – 20 minutes.

• Modify the storage atmosphere to generate low oxygen (2.4% and to develop high carbon
dioxide (9.0 – 9.5) by adding CO2 to control the insects.

• Seed purpose: Mix 1 kg of activated kaolin (or) lindane 1.3 D (or) malathion 5 D for every
100 kg of seed and store/pack in gunny or polythene lined bags.

• Grain purpose: Mix 1 kg activated kaolin for every 100 kg of grain and store. To protect the
pulse grains, mix activated kaolin at the above dosage or any one of the edible oils at 1 kg for
every 100 kg of grain or mix 1 kg of neem seed kernel for every 100 kg of cereal / pulse and
store.

• Do not mix synthetic insecticides with grains meant for consumption.

iii) Cultural methods

• Split and store pulses to escape from the attack by pulse beetle since it prefers to attack
whole pulses and not split ones.
• Store the food grains in air tight sealed structures to prevent the infestation by insects.

iv) Mechanical methods

• Sieve and remove all broken grains to eliminate the condition which favour storage pests.

• Stitch all torn out bags before filling the grains.

v) Chemical methods

• Treat the walls, dunnage materials and ceilings of empty godown with malathion 50 EC 10
ml/L.

• Treat the alleyways and gangways with malathion 50 EC 10 ml/L.

• Spray malathion 50 EC 10 ml/ L with @ 3 L of spray fluid / 100 m2over the bags.

• Do not spray the insecticides directly on food grains.

• Use knock down chemicals like lindane smoke generator or fumigant strips pyrethrum spray
to kill the flying insects and insects on surfaces, cracks and crevices.

• Use seed protectants like pyrethrum dust, carbaryl dust to mix with grains meant for seed
purposes only.

• Decide the need for shed fumigation based on the intensity of infestation.

• Check the black polythene sheets or rubberized aluminium covers for holes and get them
ready for fumigation.