STORED GRAIN :: INDEX :: STORED GRAIN PEST

STORED GRAIN PESTS

In India, post-harvest losses caused by unscientific storage, insects, rodents, micro-organisms etc., account for about 10 per cent of total food grains. The major economic loss caused by grain infesting insects is not always the actual material they consume, but also the amount contaminated by them and their excreta which make food unfit for human consumption. About 500 species of insects have been associated with stored grain products. Nearly 100 species of insect pests of stored products cause economic losses

Storage insect pests are categorized into two types viz.

• Primary storage pests : Internal and External feeders
• Secondary storage pests

Primary storage pests: Insects that damages sound grains are primary storage pests