Stored product pests are an extremely common and frustrating commercial pest. They live and feed on the dry grain products commonly found in many factories, restaurants, and food-based retail establishments. There are many different varieties of common stored product pest in the US and New York itself. Pests like confused flour beetles, indian meal moths, weevils, and saw-toothed grain beetles inflict themselves on NY businesses constantly.

One of the worst things about stored product pest infestations is that they tend to be multi-generational. Once stored product pests infest a structure, they mate inside that structure. Then, their offspring keep eating, growing, and spreading. One of the most important ways to stop a stored pest infestation is to stop the pests from mating. That’s what the “mating disruption” pest control strategy is all about. Today, we’re covering what mating disruption is, how it works, and why you should use it. Stored product pests are the only thing that don’t deserve a Happy Valentine’s Day. Here’s how you can make sure they don’t get one.
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What is mating disruption?

Mating disruption is a pest control solution that uses sex pheromones to confuse male stored product pests. Experts place dispensers filled with the relevant pheromones in the building or area needing treatment.

The dispensers release the pheromones into the infested environment where pests will contact them. Male stored product pests confuse the manufactured pheromone for a mating pheromone given off by female pests. Using these disruptive dispensers wears the males out as they chase the “fake” pheromones instead of finding actual mates.
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Why is mating disruption effective?

This type of commercial pest control relies on manipulating the creature’s biology to the advantage of a building owner. Most stored product pests have short life spans, so confusing the males makes mating impossible. They waste their energy–and all their time!–chasing fake pheromones instead of mating for real. The males expire while they’re still chasing the fake pheromones, and never get to mate and help produce offspring.

Additionally, most adult stored product pests don’t feed while searching for their mates, which helps reduce product loss. They’re literally too busy being distracted to damage your product! Mating disruption is especially effective as a more natural and environmentally-sensitive way to control pest behavior. It works, and it doesn’t rely on pesticides!
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What else should I consider before choosing mating disruption?

Mating disruption draws out infesting pests and confuses their ability to procreate, which helps limit an infestations’ growth. As you may have noticed, however, it will not actually kill the pests that are already infesting your product. Mating disruption is one effective piece of a larger pest control puzzle. If you need stored product pests removed from your building permanently, we suggest getting in touch with the pros.

We recommend consulting with pros before you start mating disruption, too. Specific dosing and placement are important considerations when planning effective mating disruption. Some pheromones require very exacting usage to remain as effective as possible. Make sure you trust the pest control company working on your mating disruption. Inaccurate pheromone use will be far less effective than it should be.

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Want to learn more about how mating disruption could work for your commercial property? Give Assured Environments a call today. We’ll walk you through the process and determine whether or not it’s the best fit for your facility’s needs. We can also help design a complete control program that will solve your specific problem. Whatever your facilities’ pest problem, Assured has the solution.