Pests in stored products
Pest control in Ibiza and Formentera. Pests in stored products: moths, weevils and tenebriums (mealworms).
Coleoptera and Lepidoptera: health risks and economic losses.
Coleoptera and Lepidoptera.
To list all the pests that can affect stored products would mean describing all the pests that can affect products, whatever their nature, that are stored: clothing, leather, food, construction materials, wood, wood derivatives, etc. For this reason, we are going to include in the list those species that are already developed in other tabs of the page, such as ants, rodents, flies or xylophagous organisms (wood and its derivatives).
Therefore, we are going to focus generically on species belonging to the orders Coleoptera and Lepidoptera.
Broadly speaking, we can define Coleoptera as beetles (woodworm, weevils, etc.), and Lepidoptera as moths (nocturnal species) and butterflies (diurnal species).
In both cases, they can affect stored products both in their larval and adult stages.
Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and economic losses.
Taking into account the environment in which this type of pests develop, i.e. in stored products, it follows that their presence can be accompanied by very significant losses of money in the form of spoiled products and materials.
Cereal, meat products, clothes, wood and its derivatives... can be severely damaged, even unusable. It may even be the case that they generate economic losses twice over, if all the goods that were once useful merchandise now have to be managed by a waste management company.
There is no doubt that in the case of stored products, prevention is the cure.
Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and health risks.
Given the wide range of species that can infest stored products and their environment, they should not be seen as a threat to people's health.
There are species which, due to their habits, do not only feed in stored products, but alternate from these to other products in the process of decomposition located in other areas (with the consequent risk of biological contamination).
Similarly, stored products can be the habitat of larvae, but not of adults. At the same time, adults may have a completely unsanitary habitat from which they can carry pathogens into our environment when laying their eggs. An example of this can be flies and their egg depositions on meat and meat products.
They can also be responsible for the appearance of allergies, bites, etc.
Without a doubt, a good pest control and prevention plan is the best way to avoid major damage.
However, if you already have a problem, always make sure you hire the services of a company that knows how to identify, without a doubt, the pest that is causing the problem. At the same time, it must be demonstrated that there are no other harmful organisms in the environment and that the objective causes that have generated the problem have been corrected (structural deficiencies, environmental conditions, entry through a distributor, etc.).
Identification and control of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera.
Identification of coleopteran and lepidopteran pests:
-Sightings.
-Damage to stored foodstuffs, materials, equipment, ect.
-Detection of larvae and moults.
Control of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera by Integrated Pest Management (IPM):
-Prior inspection.
-Control of organisational measures.
-Control of structural measures.
-Pheromone traps.
-Application of biocides.
For further details of our work methodology, see the description of our Integrated Pest Control (IPC).
Coleoptera and lepidoptera pests in Ibiza and Formentera, main species.
Coleoptera: they are usually between 1 and 5 mm in size. Brown or black in colour, they are commonly called beetles. Beetles have a chewing mouthparts, and most have the ability to bore into relatively hard surfaces.
Females usually lay their eggs in holes and perforations in the substrate in which they will develop, i.e. the stored products they damage.
Among the possible pest candidates, these are the most common:
-Chestnut flour weevil (Tribolium castaneum).
-Wheat weevil (Sitophilus granarius).
-Rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae).
-Maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais).
-Grain weevil (Rhizopertha dominica).
-bean weevil (Acanthiscelides obtectus).
-Toothed mealworm (Oryzaephilus suinamensis).
-Mealworm (Tenebrium molitor).
-Major grain worm (Tenebroides mauritanus).
-Major grain blight (Tenebroides mauritanus)
-Etc.
Lepidoptera: they refer to butterflies and moths, but it is usually the moths that affect us. They are small in size, between 8-13 mm.
As with other insect pests, it is the larvae that usually feed on stored products: grain, flour, textiles, paper...
The most common lepidopteran pests are usually one of the following species:
-Flour moth (Plodia interpunctella).
-Cereal moth (Sitotroga cerealella).
-Rice moth (Corcyra cephalonica).
-Cotton boll moth (Ephestia cautella).
-Common clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella).
-Common clothes moth (Tinea pellionella).
-Carpet moth (Trichophaga tapetzella).
Nova Control has the professionals, resources and experience necessary to guarantee the correct control of pests and microorganisms both in Ibiza and Formentera, always seeking to cover the service in a discreet and professional manner.
At Nova Control, we always try to adapt to the needs and requirements of our clients, whether they are public, private or private entities.
For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us: