OPEN ACCESS | Published on : 03-Feb-2026 | Pages: 92-103 | Doi : 10.37446/edibook212025/92-103
After harvest, the majority of the grain is stored for periods that may be long or short, depending on the purpose of storage. During the post-harvest period, grain is typically stored in warehouses that meet appropriate storage conditions to keep the seeds as viable and intact as possible. However, grain in warehouses is susceptible to numerous pests (insects, fungi, mites, rodents, etc.). Insect pests constitute a large group of stored grain pests. These infestations may originate from the field. In this case, the insect is a pest of both the field and the warehouse. Consequently, it can easily be transported with the harvested grain to the store, from where it can spread to healthy grains. Infestations may also be present in the warehouse itself due to ineffective pre-storage sterilization, or due to the presence of entry points for insects that can cause new infestations at any time. Therefore, preventive measures are paramount in warehouses. If insect infestation is detected in a store, it is essential to accurately diagnose the infestation, identify the insect causing the damage, its stage, and the density of its population. It is also necessary to assess the damage rate and the severity of the damage to determine the most appropriate measure to manage the specific pest. Therefore, this chapter reviews the most important points related to post-harvest insect pests of grains and how to deal with them.
Infestation, Insect pest, Detection management, Post- harvest, Stored grains
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