Fumigation of stored grain services in Ethiopia

Fumigation services of stored grain in Ethiopia is our specialty. There’s nothing more off-putting than pests which contaminate the food you eat. Unfortunately, it’s easy to bring stored grain pests into your home, without meaning to, hidden in contaminated foodstuffs or pet foods. Many of these stored grain insect species are so small that you may not notice a problem at first, but there are a number of telltale signs to look out for.

Primary grain pests

1. Granary weevil :- When disturbed it sits very still for several minutes. An adult lays up to 450 eggs singly in holes chewed in cereal grains. Each egg hatches into a white, legless larva, which eats the grain from the inside. The larva pupates within the grain and the adult then chews its way out. The exit holes are characteristic signs of weevil damage. The life cycle takes about one month under summer conditions and adults may survive for a further eight months. The granary weevil is a small dark brown-black beetle about 4mm long with a characteristic rostrum (snout) protruding from its head. It has biting mouth parts at the front of the rostrum and two club-like antennae.




2. Rice weevil :-An adult lays up to 450 eggs singly in holes chewed in cereal grains. Each egg hatches into a white, legless larva, which eats the grain from the inside. The larva pupates within the grain and the adult then chews its way out. The exit holes are characteristic signs of weevil damage. The life cycle takes about one month under summer conditions and adults may survive for a further eight months. The rice weevil has four orange-brown areas on the wing cases, and is about 3mm long with a characteristic rostrum (snout) protruding from its head. It has biting mouth parts at the front of the rostrum and two club-like antennae. Unlike the granary weevil, the rice weevil is winged and may occasionally fly.



3. Angoumois grain moth :-The smoky brown cockroach is an outdoor roach that lives in and around wooded areas. The angoumois moth is yellow-brown with darker markings. Its wingspan is 12-20mm. Females lay up to 250 eggs on or near the surface of stored grain. The eggs hatch into a caterpillar which bores into grain kernels remaining inside until mature. It then eats its way out of the grain, leaving characteristic exit pin holes on the grain surface.
Unlike most other moth pests, no surface web is formed. The life cycle may be completed in as little as five weeks.
As well as reducing the weight of grains, Angoumois moth infestations impart an unpleasant smell and taste to the cereal.



4. Rust-red flour beetle :-The rust-red flour beetle is frequently found on farms in WA. It is a reddish brown beetle about 3mm long. The final three segments of its antennae are greatly enlarged to form a club shape. Young adults are pale brown in colour becoming darker with age. Females lay up to 1000 eggs loosely scattered throughout infested grain. Cream-coloured larvae with biting mouth parts and three pairs of legs hatch and remain free from the grain, feeding on cereal dust and damaged grains. A generation takes about one month to complete under summer conditions, but longer in cold weather. Adults may live up to a year. The adult is winged and may fly.



5. Warehouse moth :The warehouse moth is a drab grey moth with a 10-12mm wingspan. It usually only infests the surface of stored grain . Moths live for only about two weeks, but during that time lay up to 200 eggs. These are distributed loosely on the grain surface. Larvae hatch out of the eggs and wander over the grain surface leaving a trail of silk which may form a thick mat covering the surface of the infested grain. Mature larvae pupate in a silk cocoon among the grain or on the walls of the building. The life cycle takes at least four weeks.



6. Warehouse beetle :This beetle was first found in WA in 1989 and that infestation was eradicated. It has now spread to about a dozen locations in WA but has never established to damaging populations.
The warehouse beetle is a pest of stored grain in its own right, but the greater threat is the impact on trade that it could have by masking an incursion of the world's worst pest of stored grain — the khapra beetle. Warehouse beetle and khapra beetle require microscopic examination to distinguish them. Khapra beetle does not occur anywhere in Australia and would have a severe impact on international trade if it became established.



Professional Treatments for SPIs
• Our certified technicians understand the habits of various stored grain insects and they use this insight and knowledge to recommend effective and targeted treatments.
• All treatments we use are family and pet friendly
• Our technician will fully explain the treatment process to you before starting work
• We will arrange follow-up visits, if they are required. This will depend on the type of treatment used and the level of infestation.

What You Can Do
Once in your home, stored grain insects are highly mobile and will spread quickly through your property in search of other foods such as dried fruit, rice and cereals. Act quickly as the longer you leave it the more difficult it will be to find all the sources of the infestation. You must remove the source materials of the infestation as well as cleaning up any spillages that might occur. Store all food products including dry pet food in strong, tightly sealed containers so that insects can’t get to them.

Facts about stored grain Insects
1. Most stored grain insects will be found in infected foodstuffs in kitchens, larders or store rooms close to a food source.
2. The most common insects to infest food products in homes are flour beetles, the saw toothed stored grain beetle and the Indian meal moth.
3. Flour beetles will breed in milled stored grain such as flour, rice, oats and cereals. They leave a mouldy taint to any products they infest.
4. Saw toothed stored grain beetles will eat cereals, dried fruits, macaroni and crackers.
5. Indian meal moth larvae will eat the same cereals, dried fruits and nuts as other stored grain pests, but will also infest dried herbs, spices, dry dog food, fish food, cake mixes and bird seed.
6. stored stored grain insects can chew through packaging to access the food inside to eat or lay eggs.

Common stored stored grain Insect Species
stored stored grain insects (common species of beetles, weevils and moths in the Ethiopia) not only damage foodstuff and raw materials but can also contaminate finished products – making them unfit for use. Learn the feeding habits and lifecycles of stored grain insects and the damage they can do if left uncontrolled.