Pests Of Stored Feed And Their Control

Overview

A poultry keeper in Sokoto opens a sack of maize bran two months after buying it and finds the feed clumped together with silk webbing, small moths flying up as she loosens the mouth of the sack, and a corner of the sack gnawed clean through overnight. The bran she paid good money for is now partly dust, partly moth silk, partly rat droppings. Every farmer who stores feed for even a few weeks meets these same three enemies: weevils, rodents and moths, and every one of them can be beaten with methods a WAEC candidate is expected to know by name.

In this lesson you will learn to recognise each pest from the damage it leaves behind, so that a torn sack, a bored grain and a web of silk each point straight to their culprit. You will then learn the non-chemical and chemical methods used to control them, and the precautions that keep a chemical treatment safe for the animals that eventually eat the feed and the person who applies it.

Objectives

  1. Identify common pests of stored animal feed
  2. Explain the damage caused by pests to stored feed
  3. State the methods of controlling pests of stored feed
  4. Explain the precautions taken when applying chemical control methods
  5. Distinguish between chemical and non-chemical methods of pest control

Lesson Note

Feed is usually the single largest cost of keeping livestock, often more than half of it. Feed that is bought, transported and paid for, then left in a store for weeks before it is fed out, is under constant attack from three kinds of pests. Left unchecked, a bag of maize can lose a fifth of its weight to insects alone, and a bag gnawed open by rats can be finished within days. A farmer who cannot name the pest cannot choose the right control, and a farmer who chooses the wrong control can do more harm than the pest itself, for example by feeding animals grain still carrying a poison meant to kill rats. This topic teaches both halves of that skill together.

Lesson Evaluation

Congratulations on completing the lesson on Pests Of Stored Feed And Their Control. Now that youve explored the key concepts and ideas, its time to put your knowledge to the test. This section offers a variety of practice questions designed to reinforce your understanding and help you gauge your grasp of the material.

You will encounter a mix of question types, including multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions. Each question is thoughtfully crafted to assess different aspects of your knowledge and critical thinking skills.

Use this evaluation section as an opportunity to reinforce your understanding of the topic and to identify any areas where you may need additional study. Don't be discouraged by any challenges you encounter; instead, view them as opportunities for growth and improvement.

  1. Grains found with small round holes bored through them, with fine dust at the bottom of the bag, have most likely been attacked by: A. Rodents B. Weevils C. Moths D. Mites Answer: B
  2. The stage of a moth that actually feeds on and damages stored feed is the: A. Egg B. Larva C. Adult moth D. Pupa Answer: B
  3. Which of the following is a non-chemical (cultural) method of controlling pests of stored feed? A. Fumigation B. Grain-protectant dust C. Rodenticide D. Proper drying before storage Answer: D
  4. Rodenticide bait is normally placed in stations away from the feed itself in order to: A. Save the cost of the bait B. Attract more rodents at once C. Prevent the poison from contaminating the feed D. Speed up how quickly the bait works Answer: C
  5. The required waiting time after a fumigated store is opened before feed may safely be removed and fed to animals is called the: A. Incubation period B. Withdrawal (safety) period C. Gestation period D. Dry season Answer: B

Recommended Books

Introduction to Animal Science: Global, Biological, Social and Industry Perspectives
Introduction to Animal Science: Global, Biological, Social and Industry Perspectives
Subtitle: Sixth edition
Publisher: Pearson
Year: 2017
ISBN: 978-0-13-443605-0
Description: A comprehensive introduction to animal science covering anatomy and physiology, nutrition, genetics, reproduction, animal health and the major farm animal species and their production systems.
Small-scale Poultry Production: Technical Guide
Small-scale Poultry Production: Technical Guide
Publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Year: 2004
ISBN: 978-92-5-105082-8
Description: An FAO Animal Production and Health Paper written by a Nigerian animal scientist, covering breeds, housing, feeding, incubation, disease control and marketing for small-scale poultry keepers in developing countries.
Tropical Animal Feeding: A Manual for Research Workers
Tropical Animal Feeding: A Manual for Research Workers
Publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Year: 1995
ISBN: 978-92-5-103758-4
Description: An FAO Animal Production and Health Paper on the principles of ruminant and non-ruminant nutrition and the practical use of tropical feed resources, including crop residues and by-products, in sustainable livestock systems.

Past Questions

Wondering what past questions for this topic looks like? Here are a number of questions about Pests Of Stored Feed And Their Control from previous years

WAEC SSCE - Animal Husbandry - 2017

Question 1 Report

TEST OF PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE QUESTION

specimens

Study specimen J (Soldier ants),K (Weaver bird) and L (Weevil) and answer the questions that follows

(a)(i) State two harmful effects of each of specimens J, K, and L in livestock production.

(ii) State two ways of controlling each of the specimen J, K and L on livestock farms.

(b) Mention three other storage pests in farm animal production.

View Answer