Integrated Pest Management in the Italian Mill Industry

摘要

The efficacy of integrated pest management(IPM) in an Italian mill was evaluated as a substitute for annual fumigation with methyl bromide, an ozonedepleting pesticide which is now banned in developed countries for most of its uses. Traps baited with aggregation pheromone lure and an oilbased food attractant were used to monitor populations of storedproduct beetles, sticky traps baited with a pheromone lure were used to monitor the Mediterranean Flour Moth(MFM) and the Indian Meal Moth(IMM). In addition, several bins,oilor waterfilled and baited with a pheromone lure,were used to catch adults of the MFM and of the IMM in the most critical areas. Monitoring and inspection were carried out weekly;cleaning was carried out more often than in the past;local treatments were made if necessary;and sometimes there were changes to the buildings to reduce insect hiding places. Several sources of infestation were detected and critical areas were more often monitored. The intent was to avoid fumigation in the following years. Due to the IPM activities,it was possible to reduce the population peak to a lower level than recorded in the previous years. The frequent inspections led to the identification of foci of infestations and occasional pests, such as Tineola bisselliella Hummel, Tetramorium caespitum （Linnaeus), and Blatta orientalis Linnaeus. IPM is a useful alternative to methyl bromide, but its application requires specialized knowledge by technicians who know the biology and the behaviour of storedproduct pests, and are able to manage the monitoring program and to organize the most appropriate control strategies.