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  • From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] DE/was Saving Corn
  • Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2006 16:07:21 -0600

How about trying Diatomaceous earth, Uriel??Of course,the food grade kind
and not the pool kind....I've included the relevant article (as well as the
appropriate excerpt) below.....Love your name BTW..

Barb

=====
Other research, says Brown, has looked at the use of diatomaceous earth as
a protestant for stored grain. Diatomaceous earth, he explains, has been
available for some time. It consists of single-cell organisms found in old
ocean bottoms, and it can be mined from the earth. It affects insects to
the point to where they lose water and start to dry out, he says.

The product, he says, comes in powder form in a 15-pound box. It can be
applied into a grain bin in several ways, including with an air hose.
“It's a relatively inexpensive product. You can treat a 2000-bushel grain
bin for $10. Our research results have been encouraging. We've tried three
different application methods and all three prevented the peak of maize
weevils.”


====

Corn research targets maize weevil
http://southeastfarmpress.com/mag/farming_corn_research_targets/
Apr 10, 2002 12:00 PM
By Paul L. Hollis Farm Press Editorial Staff

Post-harvest corn storage research is making progress in areas such as
battling the maize weevil, says University of Georgia Extension
entomologist Steve L. Brown.

“We've completed three years of data on maize weevil infestation in the
field,” says Brown. “Maize weevil is the key pest of stored corn in
grain bins, but the weevil infests corn in the field before we've even
harvested the crop.”

Maize weevil infestation is the source of many problems in stored corn, he
adds. “We're putting infested corn in our bins after harvest. We
conducted a three-year study to find out what affected those infestation
levels in the field, and we learned that hybrids can make a difference in
the level of maize weevil infestation we see in fields.

“We haven't tested every hybrid, and we can't tell yet which hybrid is
the best and which is the worst, but we're making progress in that area. We
do think that husk coverage is a key, and we think kernel hardness has an
impact,” says Brown.

Many hybrids are bred for maize weevil conditions, he says, but not the
conditions that are found in south Georgia and other parts of the
Southeast.

“We need to learn which of these hybrids are most susceptible to maize
weevil infestation so we can avoid them,” he says.

Planting dates also can be important in the level of maize weevil
infestation, notes Brown. “Corn planting dates have an impact on when
maize weevils move into a field and infest corn. But in our three-year
study, we saw different results in each of the three years.

“In each of the three years, we used three or four different planting
dates, and we got a statistical difference each time. This tells us that
this will be a difficult component to manage,” says the entomologist.

Timely harvest is another important aspect of managing maize weevil
infestations, says Brown. “If we leave corn in the field too long, we're
setting ourselves up for problems. We need to be harvesting at 22 to
24-percent moisture. If we get below that range, we're creating ideal
conditions for maize weevils. The longer you leave corn in the field, the
worse your problems will be.

“The maize weevils are completing one cycle and emerging from the corn
and laying more eggs. If you're storing corn, you need to get it out before
maize weevils infest it. Maize weevils are laying their eggs as early as
the three-fourths milk line, and they peak about four weeks later.”

Another area of focus for corn storage research has been on fumigation,
says Brown. “We rely a great deal in the small grain industry on aluminum
phosphide, and products like Fumiphos and Phostoxin. I don't know of any
other industry that relies so much on one chemical.

“I wish we could get rid of it because it's dangerous. But growers in the
Southeast would be in a lot of trouble with managing insects in stored
grain if we didn't have this product. In the recent past, the EPA
threatened to remove the product from the market. Fortunately, we were able
to keep it, at least for the short-term.”

Brown expects a new label at any time for aluminum phosphide products.
“With this new label, we'll have to make changes in how we use this
product. One change is that private applicators will have to receive
special training before using the product. In the past, you could buy the
product with your private applicator permit and apply it without special
training. That, however, will change, and growers will be required to
receive training.”

Extension personnel and researchers have conducted training throughout
Georgia in the areas of aerating, sanitizing and fumigating.

“It's very important that growers know how to properly seal grain
bins,” he says. “That appears to be a big problem — growers are not
taking the time to seal grain bins before fumigating. Throwing a few
aluminum phosphide tablets in the bin will kill a few insects on top, but
it won't get the ones down deep in the bin. With just a couple of hours of
work, we could seal the grain bin and get thorough kill throughout the
bin.”

Many growers believe, he says, that they have about 30 minutes after
placing aluminum phosphide tablets before they need to get out of the bin.
But tests have shown differently, he adds.

“We don't have near that much time. Using electronic sensors, we've found
that — depending on temperature and humidity — you might have as few as
five to 10 minutes before you can get into trouble.”

Other research, says Brown, has looked at the use of diatomaceous earth as
a protestant for stored grain. Diatomaceous earth, he explains, has been
available for some time. It consists of single-cell organisms found in old
ocean bottoms, and it can be mined from the earth. It affects insects to
the point to where they lose water and start to dry out, he says.

The product, he says, comes in powder form in a 15-pound box. It can be
applied into a grain bin in several ways, including with an air hose.
“It's a relatively inexpensive product. You can treat a 2000-bushel grain
bin for $10. Our research results have been encouraging. We've tried three
different application methods and all three prevented the peak of maize
weevils.”

Researchers, says Brown, are pushing the implementation of a proven
technique that will help growers get the maximum use from their fumigants.
Closed-loop fumigation is a circulation system, he says.

“With closed-loop fumigation, you're not relying on the fumigant to find
its way through the grain bin on its own. You're constantly circulating the
fumigant throughout the grain bin. This technique is much more effective in
big bins — 50,000 to 100,000 bushel-bins. It's relatively inexpensive to
set up, with some initial costs.”

Many growers, says Brown, don't realize how much loss can occur after a
corn crop is harvested and placed into a grain bin. “Long-range, we want
to improve the image of Southeastern grain in the United States and world
markets. At the same time, we want to make stored grain management safer
for growers.”






*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 8/26/2006 at 8:16 AM uriel@nasalam.org wrote:

>This may be off-topic, but I think it's relevant to avoiding
>pesticides on our land. It's about time to harvest corn here and I am
>once again faced with a problem I've never found a solution for -- the
>European granary weevil. Every time I've removed the kernels and put
>them in a container for storage these pointy-nosed critters are soon
>crawling around eating everything in sight. The only thing that
>*seems* to work is to store the dried corn on the cob, only removing
>it when it's needed. Does anyone have any advice on dealing with this?
>Uriel / SW Missouri
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Livingontheland mailing list
>Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
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