Alternatives to Methyl Bromide Treatments for Stored-Product and Quarantine Insects

Abstract

Methyl bromide is used to control insects as a space fumigant in flour and feed mills and ship holds, as a product fumigant for some fruit and cereals, and for general quarantine purposes. Methyl bromide acts rapidly, controlling insects in less than 48 h in space fumigations, and it has a wide spectrum of activity, controlling not only insects but also nematodes and plant-pathogenic microbes. This chemical will be banned in 2005 in developed countries, except for exceptional quarantine purposes, because it depletes ozone in the atmosphere. Many alternatives have been tested as replacements for methyl bromide, from physical control methods such as heat, cold, and sanitation to fumigant replacements such as phosphine, sulfuryl fluoride, and carbonyl sulfide, among others. Individual situations will require their own type of pest control techniques, but the most promising include integrated pest management tactics and combinations of treatments such as phosphine, carbon dioxide, and heat.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND NITROGEN ON DIFFERENT DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF Cadra cautella (LEPIDOPTERA: PYRALIDAE)

“…Efforts are being made to develop economical, safe, and environmentally friendly alternatives for the control of stored product insect pests. Chemicals such as carbonyl sulfide, sulfuryl fluoride, ozone, cyfluthrin, iodomethane, and nonchemical treatments including modified atmospheres, high pressure, heat/cold treatments, sanitation, radio frequency, long-wave energy and irradiation have been utilized (Desmarchelier et al, 1998;Johnson et al, 2000;Fields and White, 2002;Schneider et al, 2003;Aksoy et al, 2004;Cetinkaya et al, 2006). Several studies have demonstrated that applications of modified atmospheres (MA) and ozone are possible alternatives for methyl bromide against dried fruits pests including C. cautella (Soderstrom et al, 1984;Soderstrom et al, 1986;Navarro et al, 1993;Donahaye et al, 1994;Navarro et al, 1997;Donahaye et al, 1998;Navarro et al, 1998;Navarro et al, 2000, Husain et al, 2015.…”

Comparative Study on the Sensory Properties of Fuji Apples and Niitaka Pears Irradiated by Gamma Rays, Electron Beams, or X-rays

“…Thus, phytosanitary treatments are required to disinfest quarantine pests and insects in agricultural commodities. Methyl bromide gas is commonly used for phytosanitary treatment of agricultural commodities, including the apple and pear, owing to its wide spectrum of activity (Fields and White, 2002;Hallman, 2011).…”

Application of Food-Grade Ingredients to Nets for Dry Cured Hams to Control Mite Infestations

“…However, the use of methyl bromide is in the process of being phased out, since it was listed as one of several substances that contribute to the depletion of ozone in the atmosphere in the Montreal Protocol (Fields and White, 2002). Although the United States dry-cured ham industry can use existing stocks of methyl bromide, no additional methyl bromide can be produced at this time (EPA, 2017).…”

“…Alternatives that have been tested include chemical alternatives (Fields and White, 2002), food-safe compounds , the use of hot or cold temperature , and controlled atmosphere (Hasan et al, 2016). Sulfuryl fluoride was effective at controlling the adult stage of mites but was not effective at a concentration 3 times greater than the EPA label rate when applied at room temperature (Phillips et al, 2008).…”