Keep in mind that insects are actually a symptom of an existing condition. They need time, food, and temperature.
I think it goes without saying that the Purdue acronym SLAM is always important – sanitation, loading, aeration, and monitoring.
With sanitation, the grain is never going to get any better than it was when we put it into the bin.
Make sure that if you are carrying over grain, do something either to treat it or ensure that the quality is high, and there are no current pest pressure or pest issues.
Site sanitation is important as well. Bob Marlow just spoke about cleaning up ground piles.
That dumpster pile on the edge of the property could be the spark that leads to the upcoming year’s infestation.
If you were blending foreign material or high-moisture grain with other good grain, there’s a chance that this is going to come back and bug you again later.
Technically, aeration is not for drying grain. It’s for controlling the temperature.
Loading at 87 degrees or warmer, not only are we reducing the shelf life of the grain, but we are reducing insect lifecycles. If we get it down to 45 degrees, reproduction will shut down.
In 90 days at 87 degrees, you can go from a population of two rice weevils to 32,250 in just three generations.
If you think about it economically, a bushel of corn is a little bit over 80,000 kernels, so in a few generations, you start taking a hit.
Reprinted from Grain Journal July/August 2020 Issue