THERMAL CONTROL OF INSECTS

Brian C. Zeichner

Alfred L. Hoch

U. S. Army Center for Health Promotion andPeventive Medicine

Thermal Control ofCockroaches, Snails, and Commodity/Lumber Pests

Brian C. Zeichner

Alfred Lynn Hoch, Zia Mehr,Daniel Topp, Donald Wood,

Christina Hutchinson

Facility Preparation

• Shut off all equipment• Remove

– Perishables, Spices, Bread, Fruit– Compressed gas cylinders– Flamables– Computers, TVs

• Applied Gentrol, insect growth regulator

Clear the floor

Prevent

Escapes

PreventDamage

SPRINKLER HEAD: TEMPERATURES INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF INSULATOR

0 60 120 180 240 300 360

TIME (MINUTES)

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

TEM

PE

RA

T UR

E (

F)

OUTSIDE

INSIDE

0

Corral

Heat

SetupHeaters

VARIATION OF CEILINGTEMPERATURES

T+120 T+180 T+240115

120

125

130

135

140

145

150

155

160

165

170

TIME (MINUTES)

0TE

MP

ER

ATU

RE

( F

)

52

68

77

TEM

PE

RA

TUR

E (

C)

0

57

62

Prevent 4 –6 HoursDead Cockroaches

Vacuum the Living

SHOULD METHOD BE OFFERED TO OTHER FACILITIES

YES NO NOT SURE0

5

10

15

20

N

UM

BE

R

RE

SP

ON

DIN

G

Process Detailedhttp://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/ento/TG208/TOC.HTM

Why So Effective• Heat penetrates all equipment harborage• Gentrol® is an excellent complement• Perhaps?

– Population reduced below growth threshold – Interferes with chemical comunication

Exotic Turkish land snailExotic Turkish land snail((Monaca Monaca syriacasyriaca))

Native land snailNative land snail((SuccineaSuccinea camestriscamestris))

Treatment Trial No. 1: Temperature Profile for Snail Control Project, 20 Ft. Metal Military Shipping Container, Sunny Pt., NC, 11 May 2000.

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

T T+10 T+20 T+30 T+40 T+50 T+60 T+70 T+80 T+90 T+100 T+110 T+120 T+130 T+140

Time (Minutes)

Tem

pera

ture

(°F)

Ch01 ""

Ch02 ""Ch03 ""Ch04 ""Ch05 ""Ch06 ""Ch07 ""Ch08 ""Ch09 ""Ch10 ""

Ch11 ""Ch12 ""Ch13 ""Ch14 ""Ch15 ""Ch16 ""Ch17 ""Ch18 ""

Ch19 ""Ch20 ""Ch21 ""Ch22 ""Ch23 ""Ch24 ""Ch25 ""Ch26 ""Ch27 ""

Ch28 ""Ch29 ""Ch30 ""Ch31 "

Ambient Air Temp

1 hr 2 hr

Wood flooring, Interior

Heater Output #1 Heater Output #2

Target Temp.

Figure 5.

Mortality of Snails exposed to average air temperature of 129 deg. F

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Control 20 Minutes 40 Minutes 60 Minutes 80 Minutes

Turkish Snails

Native Snails

Snail Trial Conclusions

• Laboratory studies of thermal death point needed

• We can heat the exterior of containers in a windproof enclosure– Quickly 2 – 3 hours– Without damaging contents inside– Inexpensively, $25 energy cost

• Future trials with USDA planned

Thermal Chamber

• Collaborative effort with ToppPortable Air and Defense Logistics Agency

• Goal: Find an alternative to fumigation for commodity pest

Eight Pallets of 20-lb Poly Pack Boxes of Macaroni – 4 Tons

Patent Pending

Figure 8. Temperature Profile within 4 Tons of Palletized Macaroni,Chamber Air Temperature 140ºF (60ºC)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48

Time (Hours)

Tem

pera

ture

(ºF)

Pal 1, Tier 1, CtrPal 1, Tier 3, CtrPal 1, Tier 5, CtrPal 2, Tier 1, CtrPal 2, Tier 3, CtrPal 2, Tier 5, CtrPal 2, Tier 5, Rt FtPal 3, Tier 1, CtrPal 3, Tier 3, CtrPal 3, Tier 5, Lt BkPal 4, Tier 1, CtrPal 4, Tier 3, CtrPal 4, Tier 5, Rt BkPal 5, Tier 1, CtrPal 5, Tier 3, CtrPal 5, Tier 5, CtrPal 5, Tier 5, Lt BkPal 6, Tier 1, CtrPal 6, Tier 3, CtrPal 6, Tier 5, CtrPal 6, Tier 5, Rt BkPal 7, Tier 1, CtrPal 7, Tier 3, CtrPal 7, Tier 5, CtrPal 7, Tier 5, Lt BkPal 8, Tier 1, CtrPal 8, Tier 3, CtrPal 8, Tier 5, CtrPal 8, Tier 5, Rt Bk

60ºC

48.9ºC

15.6ºC

Heater Turned Off

Target Temperature Reachedin All Pasta Products within 40 hrs: Total Energy Cost of $16 or 40 cents/hr.

2nd Generation Thermal Chamber Results

• All product meet target temperature without exceeding the upper limit

• All insects dead• No degradation of taste, color, or

cooking characteristics• Simple inexpensive operation

Pine Wilt DiseasePine Wood Nematode (Bursaphelenchusxylophilus (pine chips, unseasoned lumber, packing-case wood)

Insect Vectors: Bark Beetles and Sawyer Beetles(pallets, crates, dunnage)

USA Distribution: 36 States

International Distribution: Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, S. Korea

Effective October 2001, wood packing entering European Union must be heat treated to 56° C for 30 minutes

Whitespotted sawyer

Patent Pending

PEST-HEAT® Thermal Pest Management Chamber

PEST-HEAT® Thermal Pest Management Chamber

3rd Generation Thermal Chamber • All seasoned wood pallets meet target

temperature within 4 hours– 3 run per day capacity

• Approved by USDA-APHIS for the “56/30” treatment process

• Does not affect pallet service life• Energy cost 5 cents per pallet• Additional information: http://pestheat.com

THERMAL PEST CONTROL

• Clearly it has a place• Move a lot of controlled hot air quickly• Recognize it’s limitations