Specialist Grain Fumigation Services
Grain Fumigation Services
We appreciate how important it is in the agriculture, grain and rice storage industry to ensure your storage containers are pest-free. If not these infested containers can reduce the quality, or obliterate your stored grain.
We specialise in the removal of pests from grain and rice storage. After that, we’ll be able to offer solutions to prevent contamination after your fumigation treatment. We can also help you prepare your grain store ahead of harvest.
- A nationwide service covering the whole of England & Wales
- Pest fumigation service available 7 days a week
- Immediate quote, call today
- Fumigation specialist & BPCA member
- BS EN 166362015 standard
- Highly recommended top reviews
- Safecontractor approved
- Friendly & Knowledgeable
Get in touch with our friendly experts today for a free quote.
About our Grain Fumigation Services
We have been providing Grain Fumigation services for over 30 years and have developed our best practices over this time, which is why our methods are at the forefront of industry standards.
- Phosphine fumigation of the commodity within 7-14 days
- DEFRA approved chemicals
- Cost-effective treatment killing all stages of the insect
- No detectable pesticide residue
- Monitoring gas concentration levels (WELS)
- Fumigation clearance certificate
- Grain, storage and cargo
Our services are effective and cost-efficient, with our grain fumigation you won’t end up with wasted transport costs, and ensure any damage to the grain or product is minimal.
Get in touch with us today to discuss your Grain Fumigation and Pest Control requirements.
What are Grain Fumigation Services?
Grain Fumigation is a service to those who have problems with pest control in grain or rice stock. Our fumigation solutions are for numerous industries including farmers and millers within the agricultural industry. We can also provide pest solutions further down the logistics and supply chain. We can provide solutions for containers and storage used in the shipping and transport of grain, rice and other related agricultural products.
What Fumigation Methods do you use?
We can provide grain fumigation service for most levels of contamination. Our treatment destroys all traces of insects and their eggs from the stored grain and rice that show signs of contamination. Once we identify contamination, we use a concentration of Phosphine (pH3) gas evenly throughout the grain bulk. The process takes 7 days, but occasionally we’ll recommend 14 days for more severe cases of contamination. The temperature and working environment may also have an impact on how long incubation may have to be. When we visit, we can provide a proper estimation when we evaluate your stock.
Typically at the beginning of the fumigation process, the stored grain is first covered with a plastic sheet. The Phosphine gas is allowed to permeate through the commodity. The treatment means that the adult pests are killed, but also eggs of the deceased pests. This ensures a cost-effective solution where you are not constantly having to treat your grain for contamination.
If required, we can treat exposed adjacent store fabric with residual insecticides. This gas can also successfully permeate associated packaging, such as cardboard, and leave the packaging intact.
Why is Grain Fumigation Important?
The bulk storage of grain and rice can provide ideal breeding conditions for pests. An infestation is often hard to detect in the early stages, with very low concentrations of insects. Even a single insect in every kilogram of wheat will mean that a lorry load of grain can still introduce tens of thousands of pests into a storage facility.
As soon as you start to accumulate large amounts of grain, rice, animal food or related products in one place, stored product pests will always attempt to infiltrate and contaminate your stock. Losses caused by insects include not only the direct consumption of your stored product, but also include accumulations of frass, exuviae, webbing, and insect cadavers. High levels of this insect detritus will result in grain that is unfit for human consumption. Insect-induced changes in the storage environment may cause warm, moist ‘hotspots’ that are suitable for the development of storage fungi that cause further losses.
Worldwide losses in stored grain and agricultural products, caused by insects and pests, have been estimated to be between 5-10%. The money you may save from not hiring a grain fumigation contractor will not balance out the losses incurred while growing the crop. It’s essential that whatever methods you store your grain, that you act fast as soon as the contamination is identified.
The Bristol Pest Controller has been in the industry for a number of years abiding with all health and safety standards. At the end of the fumigation process, we provide a fumigation certificate to show that we are both OES and MEL compliant. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact our professional team here today.
Get in touch today
We are always delighted to talk through your requirements, so please contact us on 07970 749 482, at any time between 8 am & 6 pm, 7 days a week.
IDENTIFY YOUR PEST-FREE IDENTIFICATION SERVICE
If you have just found a pest, we can tell you immediately what you might be dealing with. Send us a photo by email or by picture message, using the contact details above. The image quality doesn’t have to be perfect. You might find that scan-to-email on a desktop scanner or multi-function printer is a viable alternative to a camera or mobile phone.
We also provide other fumigation services:
Fumigation Safety:
Occupational Exposure Standards (OES) and Maximum Exposure Limit (MEL) are important factors in any fumigation process. Pest Fumigation uses gas detection apparatus to confirm that gas levels have dropped, and provides a fumigation certificate to show OES and MEL compliance.
Grain Fumigation Frequently Asked Questions
The process of grain fumigation involves us placing a fumigation sheet within the grain. After that, the grain is bedded down and sealed it. We’ll seal this within a grain store, a bin or a silo.
We’ll insert the substance beneath the sheet to begin the treatment. This sheet releases a gas called Phosphine (pH3). The result of using this kills all targetted pests within your grain.
With the gas, we use you won’t find traces of chemicals left in your grain once it’s complete. This is because there won’t be any residue left at the end. And we’ll make sure the correct amount of gas is used for the right amount of grain.
We’ll monitor the gas levels throughout the treatment, with an electronic reader. After 10-14 days we’ll return, to remove the fumigation sheet.
When we return to your grain, we’ll check the gas concentration levels. If they are below the workplace exposure limit (WEL). We’ll issue you with a fumigation clearance certificate.
The certificate confirms that the area is now safe for workers to enter and handle the commodity.
The infestations of stored grain can result in significant damage to your product and cause a serious loss:
• Loss of commodity
• Spoilt grain
• Contamination by mould growth
• Contamination with dead insect bodies and waste products
• Commodity downgraded from human food-grade to animal feed grade
• Rejection of the commodity by consumers
• Prosecution under the Food Safety Act 1990
Conventional pesticides like traditional sprays will not penetrate bulk grain. With wheat or oats, it is not an effective way to control insect infestation.
The Phosphine gas we use will diffuse as separate molecules that will penetrate into the bulk grain. We’ll ensure temperature levels are maintained, to ensure the activity of the gas molecular is consistent.
As Phosphine works in the gaseous form, it enters the pest through the respiratory system.
Phosphine can move throughout the grain being treated reaching pests that would not be accessible to conventional pesticides.
It’s really important to monitor the pests ahead of the treatment. This is to ensure the infestation doesn’t become an issue. You may need to monitor your grain to adjust environmental conditions. Things like temperature and moisture levels.
This is to make sure the conditions are unfavourable to insect development.
Monitoring the grain it can be easily done by installing pitfall traps. These can be put into the surface of the grain. You’ll need to check them at periodic intervals.
It’s important to monitor the grain after fumigation for activity, to prevent a re-infestation.
• Live or dead insects
• Flying or crawling insects on the product, bags or pallets
• Webbing produced by the larvae of Warehouse moth and Mill moth (Ephestia spp)
• Frass
• Cast skins
• Visible exit holes in grains left by emerging adult weevils
• Damp, mould and even grain germination resulting from infected grain getting warmer (hot-spots)
• Insects tracks through floury dust