Stored product insects and other pests represent a major hygiene and safety issue to many industries, from food production to building infestation, and issues for timber pallets and packaging. Beds bugs are rapidly becoming a public health issue in hotels, hostels and houses in many parts of the world. While fumigation has been one of the prevalent routes for pest control, there remain issues with the toxicity of the chemicals used and potential exposure to humans therefore heat treatment has proven to be a successful alternative when used correctly. It is well known that excessive heat is dangerous to life. There is a difference between the amount of heat required to kill microbes such as bacteria and viruses and that required to kill larger life forms such as insects or mammals. This book focuses on the use of heat to kill insects and mites in food production, storage and other facilities. Heat Treatment for Insect Control examines how controlled heat treatment kills all stages of pest insect life across species and without causing damage to surrounding structures or electronics. The advantages of heat treatment include no health & safety hazards, a completely controllable and environmentally friendly process, reduced treatment time of fumigation (hours verses days), as well as no factory shutdown or exclusion of staff from adjacent areas during treatment. Part I reviews the principles of heat treatment, with chapters covering the fundamentals, planning, best practice and costs of integrated pest management. Part II looks at heat treatment applications in food production, storage, food materials and fresh produce. Part III examines the other applications in clothing, small rooms, buildings, and transportation. - Provides a comprehensive and systematic reference on the heat treatment for insect control - Reviews the development of heat treatment processes and technology as part of integrated pest management approaches

Due to the nature of agricultural commodities as carriers of exotic pests, importing countries have employed varying methods of pest control for postharvest products. Thermal treatments are emerging as effective, environmentally-friendly alternatives to traditional methods, eliminating chemical residues and minimizing damage to produce. This book provides comprehensive information of these increasingly important treatments, covering temperature measurement, heat transfer, physiological responses of plants, insects and pathogens to heat, and an introduction to current and potential quarantine treatments based on hot air, hot water, and radio frequency energy.

Insect Management for Food Storage and Processing, Second Edition is completely revised and updated with new chapters on topics including inspection techniques; retail pest management; environmental manipulation (e.g., hot, cold, modified atmospheres, ionization) to control insects; and the latest scientific research on integrated pest management (IPM) control techniques. Common and unusual exterior/interior pest insects are covered and examples of both chemical and non-chemical pest insect control strategies are thoroughly discussed. The book provides the practical and science-based strategies to solve pest insect problems in an effective and economical manner. Chapter authors are recognized around the world as experts in their respective fields. Scientific language is put in simple terms so those working in a food plant or warehouse environment can easily take information from the chapters and apply it for effective pest insect control strategies. Control methods explained have survived the test of time. This edition addresses the pesticide and food safety regulatory environment food processing personnel must work in every day. Chapter information presented is original research that contains basic reference material, literature reviews, and actual pest insect case histories that authors have experienced with control methods that work. The book is written so its readers can pick it up and use it as a ready reference across any food manufacturing or production environment. It’s a must read for commercial and structural pest control operators, technicians, or directors; food plant inspectors, auditors, and plant sanitarians; as well as QA managers, food safety consultants, and university extension personnel.

Postharvest Disinfection of Fruits and Vegetables describes available technologies to reduce microbial infection for maintaining postharvest quality and safety. The book analyzes alternative and traditional methodologies and points out the significant advantages and limitations of each technique, thus facilitating both cost and time savings. This reference is for anyone in the fresh produce industry who is involved in postharvest handling and management. It discusses, in detail, the latest disinfection approaches, low-cost treatment strategies, management and protocols to control fresh produce qualities, diseases and insect infestation. - Includes methods to reduce microbial contamination using chlorination, ozone, pulsed light, irradiation and plasma technology - Provides practical applications of recently developed, natural anti-microbial agents for eco-friendly and sustainable solutions - Explores various disinfection technologies for quality assurance and for the development of potential new technologies

Horticultural Reviews presents reviews on various topics in the horticultural sciences. The articles perform the valuable function of collecting, comparing, and contrasting the primary journal literature in order to form an overview of the topic. This detailed analysis bridges the gap between the specialized researcher and the broader community of horticultural scientists.

This book focuses on an array of integrated pest management tools (IPM) that exploit extreme temperatures, examining the biological basis for using temperature extremes in controlling insects and presenting practical IPM techniques that rely on temperature.

Stored commodities are man-made ecosystems and interactions of biological agents with its surrounding physical environment could result in significant economic losses if physical environment is not manipulated to make it lethal or at least difficult for survival of biological agents. Control and Management of Pests in Stored Products is based on 18 invited presentations by world-renowned experts on topics of relevance to control and manage pests in stored products. Each chapter synthesizes the state-of-art knowledge on the selected topics dealing with fumigation, fumigants, and other methods of controlling insects such as low temperature, diatomaceous earth, integrated pest management and provides recommendations for future research. It also includes two chapters on practical aspects of fumigation dealing with engineering considerations and safety. The contents of the chapters were presented as the keynote addresses at the International Conference on Controlled Atmosphere and Fumigation in Stored Products. This book serves as a reference book for graduate students, researchers, and facility managers, and can also be useful as a textbook for courses dealing with aspects of grain storage for students in agricultural engineering, agricultural entomology and food science.

The first comprehensive scholarly treatment of bed bugs since 1966 This book updates and expands on existing material on bed bugs with an emphasis on the worldwide resurgence of both the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., and the tropical bed bug, Cimex hemipterus (F.). It incorporates extensive new data from a wide range of basic and applied research, as well as the recently observed medical, legal, and regulatory impacts of bed bugs. Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs offers new information on the basic science and advice on using applied management strategies and bed bug bioassay techniques. It also presents cutting-edge information on the major impacts that bed bugs have had on the medical, legal, housing and hotel industries across the world, as well as their impacts on public health. Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs offers chapters that cover the history of bed bugs; their global resurgence; their impact on society; their basic biology; how to manage them; the future of these pests; and more. Provides up-to-date information for the professional pest manager on bed bug biology and management Features contributions from 60 highly experienced and widely recognized experts, with 48 unique chapters A one-stop-source that includes historic, technical, and practical information Serves as a reference book for academic researchers and students alike Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs is an essential reference for anyone who is impacted by bed bugs or engaged in managing bed bugs, be it in an academic, basic or applied scientific setting, or in a public outreach, or pest management role, worldwide.

Radio-Frequency Heating in Food Processing: Principles and Applications covers the fundamentals of radio-frequency (RF) heating and the use of RF-heating technologies in modern food processing, preservation, and related industries. Focusing on industrial and lab-scale applications where RF heating has been employed successfully or reported to have