Caught in "The Matrix," infrared beams serve their masters

Recently, a bug in a grain bin near Moccasin fell into a trap and entered into a kind of buggy equivalent of "The Matrix," where infrared beams counted and measured it, automatically logging its existence in a database.

by Carol Flaherty

http://www.montana.edu/commserv/csnews/nwview.php?article=1460

The insect in question had entered that realm of light-beams and computers that a few years ago was science fiction but today is part of the wave of useful gear in the newest technology toolboxes.

David Weaver, a Montana State University-Bozeman entomologist, says the Moccasin bins have been monitored for the past two years with prototypes of an automated insect detection system initially developed by USDA-Agricultural Research Service scientists. The goal of the system is to help minimize grain loss due to insects and to reduce the need for fumigants that are sometimes used to protect stored grain. Weaver has been working for years with the USDA’s principal investigator on the project, Dennis Shuman, who invented the system. The Electronic Grain Probe Insect Counter is being sold now in limited numbers under the trade name "Insector (R)."

"I want people to know about this system, because I think they’ll benefit from it," says Weaver, who adds that he is not a patent holder and will not make money from system sales. Eventually, the system could be used on all sorts of grains, nuts and vegetables in storage.

Grain monitoring for insects has been difficult until now. The available insect traps used to require a fair amount of labor. The trap was put into the grain and the farmer or manager had to periodically climb into the bin to retrieve the trap, then pour out its contents to identify the types of insects and whether they were likely to damage the grain.

All grain harbors some insects, says Weaver. The question is to know whether the insects are numerous enough to be a problem. In grain bins, condensation can drip into the bin, much as window condensation drips onto the window ledge. In a grain bin, the moisture supports microbial activity that builds up warmth. Under those conditions, just a few insects can multiply in the warm food-filled haven, with five or 10 grain-eating weevils becoming many thousand within months. Such insects eat the grain, leaving damaged kernels, so farmers and buyers would fumigate stored grain to keep it safe. When the weather turns cold soon after harvest, the grain cools quickly. Without warmth, insects either don’t multiply or do so slowly.

Grain bins can be both huge and dangerous, and if you have many bins, keeping track of insects would be time consuming. With the USDA-ARS technology Weaver recently tested in Moccasin and Baker, farmers and grain handlers will be able to automate surveillance for insects in grain bins, learning not only that bugs are present but roughly how many and what types of bugs are in the bin. The trap can be configured to let insects escape after they are recorded, since their numbers are inconsequential compared to all those that aren’t trapped.

In this new USDA-ARS system, the insect falling into the trap is counted and measured by two infrared beams to provide two different views of the insect. Not all insects are a threat. For each type of commodity, the problem insects are of a known size. Depending upon how much of the infrared beam is blocked by the insect, the computer software compares the size of the insect to the size of problem insects.

"This represents an enormous improvement over conventional trapping or bulk grain sampling," said Weaver in a September 2003 article in "Biophotonics International."

Monitoring grain and other commodities for insects has been recommended for many years, but the difficulty of monitoring prevented it from being widely adopted.

"This technology is really important in Montana, because if our producers do things right, they should have limited risk. And with this Electronic Grain Probe Insect Counter, we can now be doing things right by just monitoring the data being transferred into a computer database in the office.

The insect counters are expected to last for years and are likely to sell for less than $200, said Weaver.

"This technology may spook producers at first. They think there shouldn’t be any insects in their new grain. But in truth there are at least a few insects even in newly stored grain," says Weaver.

More information on the trap is available on the Web at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jul03/insect0703.htm

David Weaver (406) 994-7608, Dennis Shuman (352) 374-5737