GRAIN BORER CONTROL

    This article is about control GRAIN BORERS.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   There are many insects which can thrive in homes
where pantries store a wide range of food stuff. So
much of what we eat these days undergoes some type
of processing which makes it vulnerable to insects.
Though we believe the boxes and plastic bags bought
at local grocery stores are free of insects, this is
not always the case. Indian Meal Moths, Rice Weevils,
Flour Beetles and many other "Pantry Pests" are commonly
found in any supermarket. One such common species is
the Grain Borer.
   Grain Borers are found in most any part of the home.
There are two main species of this insect; the Lesser
Grain Borer and the Larger Grain Borer. As their name
indicates, they like to "bore" into grain and grain 
products. This boring will many times leave nothing
but empty shells in their wake. Grain bins, storage
bags, boxes and just about anywhere pantry type food
is processed are all environments where grain borers
will thrive. Once established in the processing
facilities, grain borers will be packaged and shipped
to stores where consumers will unknowingly purchase 
them. Once in the home, adults will migrate looking
for anything on which to lay eggs. Since grain 
borers can eat just about anything in the home, it
is not likely they will "starve" to death. If grain
borer activity is found in any part of the home,
control measures must be taken to insure active
populations are eliminated as soon as possible.
   Grain borers are found around the world. Closely
related to Powder Post Beetles, grain borers are
able to eat cellulose products like books, boxes,
furniture and anything made of wood. However, they
prefer grain like wheat, corn and sorghum. The two
species are very similar in look and biology. The
main difference between the two is size. Lesser
Grain Borers are about 1/8 of an inch long; Larger
Grain Borers are about 1/4 of an inch long. Both will
readily infest and thrive on the same types of food
commonly found in any home. Such food items include
nuts, wheat products, pasta, rice, cookies, dried
fruit, corn, books, boxes, dried flowers and many
other "natural" products. If brought home in a
package, adults will most likely stay if the eating
is good. However, some are sure to relocate and
lay eggs on anything that larva will be able to eat.
Adult females will lay 300-500 eggs over her life
time and since she can fly quite well, it is not
uncommon for infestations to appear randomly
throughout the home. Eggs will hatch in a week or
two after being laid and larva will immediately
begin to feed on whatever they can find. Most
will go through 2-4 molts before pupating into
adults and though the average time this process
will take is about 60 days, it can happen in 30
days or less. This rapid ability to populate and
the random nature in which it can occur is why
you must take measures to control any activity as
soon as it is identified. Here are guidelines and
treatment schedules to follow when you have found
grain borers in the home.

1) First, empty all cabinets, shelves and closets where
they have been seen or thought to exist. Any food stuff
which has them active must be discarded in sealed plastic
bags. This will help contain them until the garbage is
picked up. If you are not sure if something has activity,
store it in a plastic bag and check it every week. If
there are any grain borers in it they will try
to get out within a few weeks. If some are found, throw
it away immediately. Since this pest is temperature
tolerant, don't waste your time trying to freeze adults,
eggs or larva. Though you will certainly kill some of
them, too many will assuredly live prepared to continue
their cycle. Once food stuff which is thought to have
activity is discarded, you are ready to prepare for
doing a treatment. However, before you treat, vacuum
all closets, shelves and baseboards. This will help
to remove eggs which are too small to see. Grain borers 
lay eggs with a glue like excretion which helps
to attach them to surfaces where food is likely to be
available. This helps to keep them in place and vacuuming
will help to remove some.
2) Once everything has been removed from the cabinets
and they have been vacuumed, you can start treatments. The
first product to use is BAYGON AEROSOL.  This comes in a
spray can with a straw attachment which makes it ideal
for applying to cracks and crevices where both adults and
larva like to reside. Be sure to get as many as you have -
not just where you think beetles may be hiding. Grain
Borers are small, fast and quick to hide when ever people
are around disturbing where they have been feeding. Many
will go unnoticed and missed so it is best to treat every
cabinet to be sure you get proper coverage. Let the
treatment dry for 1 hour and all dishes and food stuff
can then go back away without hazard to people or pets.
3) Now that the cabinets and pantry areas have been
treated, you may have to treat other areas of the home
if activity has been noted. Laundry rooms, garages,
basements and other areas where pet food and grain
products like grass seed are stored are prime locations
for grain borers to reside. One or two rooms like
this will be easy to treat with Baygon but if you have
several which need an application, get some of our
PERMETHRIN which will be much more effective and thorough
for large applications. Apply it with one of our
PUMP SPRAYERS which will allow you to get good coverage
quickly. Focus in on baseboards, moldings and floor
joists if accessible. Since rodenticide is one of their
favorite foods, be sure to check any bait placements
you have done in the last couple of years. Attics are
common areas where grain borers thrive and then
find their way inside living areas. If you have an
attic with rodenticide, be sure to remove any suspected
of feeding grain borers and treat with Permethrin
to insure migrating adults won't be able to find their
way inside.
4) Now that you have treated all cabinets, pantries,
rooms and baseboards where adults may be hiding, install
some of our GRAIN BORER PHEROMONE TRAPS in any area where
you have or suspect activity. These traps use strong
pheromones or sex attractants to lure adults. Once
they crawl or fly into the holding tray, the thick
catching oil will hold them for good. Set these traps
in the back of any shelf or cabinet area. They are
quite discreet and easy to conceal. However, the borers
will assuredly find them. Be sure to place some in
any room where activity has been noted and as a general
rule, try to get at least one per shelf. These traps
will remain active for 1-2 months quite well. However,
you will need to replace them once they fill with
insects so be sure to inspect them weekly if you have
had a lot of activity.
   Grain borers can be a persistent pest once
they are established in the home. To break their life
cycle, you will need to remove any food which is
infested. Next, clean and vacuum all cabinets or
closets where they have been found. Treat with
Baygon Aerosol to kill off hatching larva and migrating
adults. The Baygon will provide several weeks of
protection should any new eggs hatch or if any new
adults come into the area. If you have them throughout
the home, treat with the Permethrin to get better
coverage. Finally, set some of the Pheromone based
traps out in cabinets and pantries where activity
has been noted. Be sure to keep the traps fresh
so they are always helping by catching adults
before they mate and try to reproduce. This program
will help to break the cycle so that it will
eventually run it's course and disappear.
   
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