Commodities like food grains, pulses, oilseeds, tobacco, spices, etc are highly susceptible to infestation from pests during storage and also during transit. Fumigation is a process used to eliminate such pests. Fumigation services in simple words are the use of gaseous pesticides in an enclosed space to get rid of pests. It is a curative control technique and an indispensable requirement, which is lethal to all stages of pests, be it eggs, larvae, pupa or adult pests. Pests in grains are difficult to notice with the naked eye as they are very small, especially at the egg and early larval stages. These pests are so small that we may need a magnifying glass to spot them.
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Fumigants are usually in a gaseous state, unlike insecticides and aerosols. The gas diffuses as distinct molecules, helping them to penetrate into the pulses being fumigated. Fumigants may come in solid or liquid forms, but when exposed to the atmosphere, they get converted to gaseous form. They penetrate inside grains and help destroy the invisible eggs or larvae developing there.
Pulses Fumigation or Grain Fumigation is a technique of pest control that uses fumigants such as methyl bromide and phosphine to exterminate pests in an enclosed space. Such a space is sealed completely so as to prevent the gas from escaping into areas that are not being treated, for obvious environmental and public safety reasons. Having an enclosed space also ensures that the exact required concentration of the gas can be achieved, which is very vital for the extermination of pests.
What is Stored Product Insects and how they damage stored foods:
Pests that infect food grains or pulses are referred to Stored Product Insects (SPI) or Pantry Pests. SPI include several kinds of beetles, moths, and mites that are capable of infesting whole grains or processed food. They damage the food by-
•Consuming the food product, thus resulting in loss of product quantity.
•Degrading the quality of the product due to physical damage like making holes in seeds, nuts, and grain.
•Infecting products with insect body parts, shed skins, feces, pupae, webbing.
•Contaminating products with microorganisms like fungi, molds, viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
•Adding to the heat and moisture content of the grains through their respiration, in turn accelerating further growth of pests and microorganisms.
•These pests introduce fungi, which produce mycotoxins that can damage the grains.
•Changing the physical properties of grains, which may even lead to disrupting food processing machinery. It could have a larger impact of spoiling the entire batch of product.
•Changing the fragrance and flavor of the product.
These tiny pests render great economic damage in the food trade worldwide, spoiling a significant proportion of the world’s food supply. A survey states pests destroy close to 20% of the world’s grain crop production annually in the post-harvest stages. That is a significant number. Hence, it is very important to have a Grain fumigation procedure in place.
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What is Silo Fumigation?
A silo is a huge structure, tall tower or pit, used for bulk grain storage. Silo fumigation is a method for treating huge volumes of grain during storage in a silo. It is a very viable process, alternative to shipping fumigation or container fumigation. The cost of silo fumigation is much lower due to the huge volumes that can be treated at a single time. It costs less than twenty rupees to fumigate one metric tonne (MT) of grain, which is worth close to twenty thousand rupees.
Further Information about Silo Fumigation
The primary benefit of silo fumigation is time and money saving. A large volume of the grain can be treated at a single point of time. Silo fumigation technique does not by any way affect the quality of stored commodities treated, leaving the fumigated grain as good as new. But not all kinds of products can undergo silo fumigation. The silo has to meet protocols based on the product to be fumigated within it. Another important aspect to remember is that a silo has to pass through a stringent pressure test each time to ensure the safety and efficiency of the process.
Why Pestinct Pro Solutions?
Pestinct Pro Solutions, a Division of NBHC, is in the pest management business for the past 10 years. We have worked our way, right to the top and have become a leading pest control operator in India. Ours is India’s first pest control company to have carried out fumigation services for more than 60 million MT of the food commodity. We rank amongst the top 3 pest control companies in the country.
Pestinct Pro Solutions are a technologically driven company and all our staff is well trained in all versions of pest control procedures. We have 47 branches across 21 states in India and believe in providing comprehensive solutions to our esteemed clients for effective pest management. You can reach us through our toll-free number or by filling the contact us form on our web site.
So what are you waiting for? Contact Pestinct Pro Solutions to arrange an appointment to discuss our entire range of services!
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