Hi Folks,

Especially to all the old regulars who helped me out so much back on the old forum. Things have been going well corn-wise here lately but I have a new problem that is driving me nuts. I have been infested with some sort of bug that got into my supply and turns it into a foul-smelling gloppy mess. The only thing that seems to kill them is Raid ant and roach, but it's not practical to soak the corn down with that. I have about a ton and a half in my basement bin.

Research in the forum tells me that perhaps diatomaceous earth will work. I have attached a picture of one of the little beasts, hope somebody out there recognizes it and can tell me the best way to eradicate them. Until now (7 seasons) I have never had a problem storing over the summer. Help?

That picture is awful small, but it looks like a billbug to me. Those buggers have been raising hell in my lawn, until this summer...lol.

www.google.com/search?q=billbugs&rls...biw=1366&bih=641

Let me know if that is the bug, and I will be more than happy to tell you how I got rid of them. It was in my lawn though and not a corn storage bin.

www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/icm/1997/6-2-1997/billbugs.html

Looks like a friendly weevil. You should be seeing moths flying around as well.
I had the same thing a couple years ago. Malathion will kill them but it stinks up the basement. Sevin may also work. The trouble is most of the stuff we use to kill bugs will make us sick. You could try Tempo as it kills the Asian beetles and boxelder bugs. It has resididual effect so if a bug walks over where you previously sprayed it will die.
I have stored corn in bins all my life and thought I knew what I was doing but must have gotten some corn from the elevator that had a wet spot and that was all it took.

it is a grain weevil, if it is already a mess it is about worthless as most of the starch has been eaten, hard to burn as only hard shell left, you can mix with some good corn to get rid of it , i use phostoxin but you need a license to get it , it will kill anything as it turns to a gas , it leaves in a day or so, this is what grainerys use,kitty litter will dry them up but usualy it is put in bottom of bin before filling as these buggers seem to go down they hatch out in hot weather, eggs are being laid now by the moth in the kernel, lays dormant till next hot weather, you can look up life cycle by googling grain weevil

blume98 wrote:


There was an exterminator here where I live that used that to try and get rid of some moles that a guy had problems with. Ended up killing 2 of his kids because he placed it too close to the house.

We store over 1,100 tonnes of grain each year. We use phostoxin (phosphine) as well. It is by far the easiest, most effective treatment and quite safe if handled with due care. You just place the pellets in a stocking and suspend in your silo. Use the correct quantity for the grain in the silo and if the silo is not sealed have good ventilation around it. You can smell the gas if it is still around, if so improve the ventilation or seal the silo.

Once again the forum comes through. Looked at some pics on the web and it is definitely a grain weevil. Billbug is close but looks bigger than these things are. I don't have any lawn damage, but I also don't notice any moths around in the basement. Since I'm not going to get a license, sounds like rona's suggestions may be the way to go. Off to the hardware store. Thanks guys.

the black bugs turn into the moth

OLDdedhed wrote:


It looks as though billbug and weevil are the same thing. Billbugs can be quit small. And there are different species of billbug.

www.flickr.com/photos/52904861@N00/186707110/

This is where I bought my stuff to kill my billbugs. I had tried everything from Home Depot and Lowes for several years and none of it worked.

www.domyownpestcontrol.com/?gclid=CImjs5nfx6sCFQJUgwodnR6U3w

And this is what I used. Half an ounce to a gallon of water in pump sprayer.

www.domyownpestcontrol.com/bifen-it-p-226.html

Worked great on every pest I had to deal with, from grasshoppers to spiders.

blume98 wrote:


Yep, I had a barrel of corn left over a couple years a go, and when they started to hatch and eat the corn, the barrel started getting hot. Once they have eaten the starch, nothing much left there. Could feed some chichens. They love the bugs.