A method for acoustic storage pest detection and its challenges

Insekten im Getreide sind ein Problem, nicht nur, weil sie das Getreide fressen, sondern weil sie durch Massenvermehrung mit ihrem Stoffwechsel dazu führen, dass Wärme und Feuchte und damit ein guter Lebensraum für Schimmel entsteht, der das Getreide unbrauchbar macht. So droht die Kontamination mit Mykotoxinen. Daher ist es wichtig, Insektenbefall frühzeitig zu erkennen und zu bekämpfen. Mit dem "Beetle Sound Tube" wurde ein System zur akustischen Früherkennung von Insekten in Getreide entwickelt, mit dem es möglich ist auch sehr geringen Insektenbefall akustisch zu erfassen und den Lagerhalter per E-Mail zu benachrichtigen. Das System befindet sich während der Lagerperiode dauerhaft im Getreide und überwacht das Getreide auf Insektengeräusche. Während der Entwicklung dieses akustischen Monitoringsystems ergaben sich unterschiedliche Herausforderungen bei der Analyse der sehr leisen Insektengeräusche in einer Umgebung mit vielfältigen Hintergrundgeräuschen. Auch anfallendes Datenvolumen und Analysegeschwindigkeit mussten optimiert werden, um Befall „just-in-time“ erfassen zu können. Das Akustik-Röhrensystem wurde für Silos, Flachläger und big bags entwickelt und ist damit für viele Lagerformen geeignet.Insects in grain can cause serious problems, not only because they feed on the grains. Mass reproduction also causes additional moisture and heat due to the insects' metabolism. This leads to favourable conditions for moulds, which can cause major losses and the formation of mycotoxins. It is therefore important to detect and treat an infestation at an early stage. The "Beetle Sound Tube" system was developed as an acoustic early detection system for insects in grain, which makes it possible to detect even very low levels of infestation and inform the storekeeper by e-mail. The acoustic system remains in the grain during the storage period, and permanently records insect sounds. Challenges were encountered in the development of this acoustic monitoring system, such as analysing very quiet insect sounds in a noisy agricultural environment. In addition, the amount of data collected and the speed of analysis had to be optimised to achieve just-in-time detection of insects. The acoustic tube system was developed for silos, flat stores and big bags and is therefore widely applicable

Efficacy of pheromones for managing of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, in food and feed processing facilities: Poster

In recent years, considerable progress has been made in the monitoring and control of Lepidoptera, by pheromones also used in mass-trapping, attracticide (lure and kill), mating-disruption, auto-confusion methods. In context of IPM "insectistasis" can be readily achieved by continual supervision of environments by traps in combination with a limited number of preventive and curative measures appropriately timed. In the present paper are reported some promising results offering efficient control of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, populations in food and feed processing facilities based on pheromones and line up a number of remaining questions to be answered to improve the reliability and competitiveness of the methods used. These field researches show potential for successful pheromone-based suppression methods for Mediterranean flour moths in practical applications.In recent years, considerable progress has been made in the monitoring and control of Lepidoptera, by pheromones also used in mass-trapping, attracticide (lure and kill), mating-disruption, auto-confusion methods. In context of IPM "insectistasis" can be readily achieved by continual supervision of environments by traps in combination with a limited number of preventive and curative measures appropriately timed. In the present paper are reported some promising results offering efficient control of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, populations in food and feed processing facilities based on pheromones and line up a number of remaining questions to be answered to improve the reliability and competitiveness of the methods used. These field researches show potential for successful pheromone-based suppression methods for Mediterranean flour moths in practical applications