Thoroughly cleaning out grain stores ahead of the 2025 harvest can help reduce the risk of insect damage.
According to Ken Black, account manager at Envu, the milder winters have removed one of the natural defences against pest pressure in grain stores.
He adds that poor grain store preparation can lead to significant losses, undoing much of the work put into growing crops.
“If you don’t get the storage environment as clean and insect-free as possible, you risk undoing all that effort,” he explains.
“Grain storage preparation is often the missing piece of the growing season jigsaw, but insect damage in stores can result in losses comparable to pests and diseases in the field.”
Ken recommends cleaning out grain stores between six and eight weeks before harvest, although he admits that external factors can reduce this window.
“A common mistake is only cleaning the floor and walls. It’s essential to get right up into the roof space, underfloor areas, drying ducts, conveyors, elevators, handling equipment, and even the combine – these are all places where insects can live.”
Using traps
Once the store has been cleaned and any debris removed, Ken says that the area should be monitored for pests using traps. These can then be checked seven to ten days later.
“On the very rare occasion that no insect activity is found, a decision can be made to skip chemical treatment. But in most cases, farmers will apply a treatment as a belt and braces approach.”
Treatments should be applied to all surfaces until the area is wet, and then given time to take effect. On average, it takes at least 24 hours to kill an adult insect, although some take longer and additional time needs to be factored in to allow them to emerge.
“Adopting a proactive approach to insect control, rather than a reactive approach, really pays off,” Ken says.
“You don’t want to be left in a position where you’ve cleaned the store but missed a few insects, because if you haven’t sprayed against them, they’ll descend on the new grain once you put it in the shed and you’ll fall foul of a costly infestation.”