ABSTRACT
Temperatures of stored grain are affected by several factors that can be controlled or modified to improve the physical control of stored-grain insects. Storing grain in small-diameter bins, rather than in larger, more economical bins, can improve the physical control of insects during fall and winter in a temperate climate by reducing the center grain temperatures and decreasing the time during which the grain at the center is the low-temperature thresholds of the insects. The physical control of insects by aeration in grain stored in hot climates frequently requires refrigerated air. Physical control methods were some of the first methods used to control stored-product insects. Stored-product insects have been controlled using physical means for thousands of years. Ambient air cooling is used mainly for control of insects in bulk grain storage. Most of the major stored product insects have been tested to determine their sensitivity to irradiation.
