Evaluation of New Strategies and Tactics to Manage Insect Pests in Mills

The overall objective of the proposed research is to reduce or eliminate the need for structural fumigations with methyl bromide to control stored-product insect pests in mills by developing improved Integrated Pest Management Programs. The specific objectives of this proposal are to (1) improve the effectiveness of aerosol applications of pyrethrin insecticides by determining the impact of aerosol insecticide droplet size on distribution and efficacy and how application methodology can be improved both in terms of efficacy and economics; (2) determine the efficacy of chlorine dioxide, which is currently used as a disinfectant, against insect pests in order to evaluate its potential as a methyl bromide alternative; (3) evaluate the current status of research into methyl bromide alternatives against stored-product insects using a meta-analysis approach to compare efficacy and an economic analysis to compare the relative costs of different treatments; and (4) conduct training workshops to transfer this information to end users.