What is a barn tick and how to deal with it with a pest?

Barn tick, sometimes also called flour or bread, Is the superfamily of Acaroidea pests related to arthropods. It causes people a lot of troubles, eating food stocks.

Brief introduction

These are very small creatures, hardly distinguishable to the naked eye: the length of their body is from 0.2 to 0.5 mm. The barn tick has an oval body with a smooth and thin shell of whitish color, which is almost transparent. Through it, you can see the fat reserves accumulated by arthropods in the process of life. Against the background of a light trunk in most species, dark paws and jaws are clearly distinguished under a microscope.

Barn ticks are known primarily as malicious pests that live in human supplies and destroy them. The extent of infection can be different: arthropods settle in huge elevators and in banks with flour in an ordinary kitchen.

Barn Tick Life

Barn mites, although they prefer to feed on the results of human labor, are widespread in the wild. They have mastered a variety of biotopes. The habitat of the barn tick can be tree sap, rotten stumps, moss and lichen. Some of the species settle in bulbous and root plants. Mites of rodents and bird nests also suffer from ticks.
Ideal conditions for life and active reproduction of all barn ticks are high humidity, access to a sufficient amount of oxygen, as well as protection from direct sunlight. All ticks have a rather primitive structure and they lack complex organs. These arthropods breathe the entire surface of the body through the spiracles. It is for this reason that their body has a thin shell that is sensitive to air humidity: when it is too dry, the surface of the ticks body dries and cracks.

Females have a short life expectancy: up to 3 months in the summer and six months in the winter. Despite their short existence, each of them manages to lay up to 200 eggs.

Barn ticks differ from their closest relatives by the presence of a special phase in the development cycle - the hypopus. An adult grows into it if environmental conditions are unfavorable. The hypopus is covered with a hard protective shell. As the situation improves, the tick again turns into a nymph.

Barn ticks feed mainly on plant foods. They prefer high fat foods. Their ability to withstand adverse conditions and the ability to multiply rapidly is rapidly increasing the population. Therefore, if ticks are found in the products, this will not pass without a trace.

Harm

Different types of barn mites harm certain foods. For example, there are pests:

• stocks of grain and products produced from it;
• bulbous plants;
• cheese;
• wine
• fruit.

All of them are united by nutrition by organic substances.

The main way for pests to enter elevators and warehouses is directly from the fields when the mites enter the grain together when harvesting.If the room keeps high humidity, then the barn tick begins to multiply rapidly. When the situation is running, then when you look at the surface it seems that waves run through it.
In addition to mechanical damage to the grain, the damage caused by the barn mite is to reduce its germination. As a result of the life of the arthropod, it becomes clogged with secretions and skins. Also, the grains begin to stick together with each other, forming lumps in which putrefactive processes begin.

There are other aspects of how barn mites harm a person. In addition to destroying products, they can cause a serious allergic reaction and adversely affect the work of the respiratory system. If a person accidentally eats a tick with a meal, then sometimes this causes an upset gastrointestinal tract.

Signs of domestic flour infection

In everyday life, a barn tick often chooses flour for its existence. Due to the small size of the arthropod and its white color, it can be difficult to identify. But, knowing the signs of infection with it, you can identify the pest in time:

1. The first thing you need to pay attention to the appearance of flour. A change in its color to brownish is an alarming symptom. A thin crust forms on the surface. Visually, it looks as if a handful of sand were scattered on top of the flour.
2. The mint smell is also a sign that a flour mite is wound up in stocks.
3. Barn ticks are constantly moving. Therefore, if you sprinkle flour on the table surface in an even layer, after 15 minutes, indentations, tubercles and various roughnesses will appear on it.
4. There is also a small folk trick of finding a flour tick. To do this, use a strip of double-sided tape, which is glued inside the cabinet with flour and cereals. After a couple of days, it is examined with a magnifying glass: if pests attacked stocks, then several individuals will necessarily fall into an impromptu trap.

Ways to fight

Barn tick control measures and prevention depend on the extent of the infection. In the agricultural and food industries, special chemicals and equipment are used for this. It is important not only to destroy the pest, but also to prevent the contamination of products with toxic substances, which in the future can adversely affect the quality of flour or the germination of grain as a planting material.

At home, conducting such processing is irrational. First of all, it is necessary to destroy the affected stocks, immediately throwing them out of the house. Then thoroughly rinse and disinfect the cabinet, paying attention to crevices and nooks. If necessary, this procedure is repeated several times.

Supplies that end up in the same cabinet with infected flour also often become the habitat of the barn tick. Therefore, it is better to get rid of all the groceries located in the "radius of danger." This is economically disadvantageous, but will help avoid re-infection, which is not uncommon.

Special tools

The destruction of barn ticks in elevators takes place with the help of preparations, the component of which is hydrogen fluoride. After processing, the grain is closed with a dense film, which enhances the effect. The pest population dies within 24 hours.

Also, insecticides are used to combat barn mites: "Detia", "Fostek", "Fostoxin".

The use of chemicals is an extreme measure because toxic substances still penetrate the grain. Although manufacturers of insecticides claim that this happens in a negligible dose that is not able to harm the products.

Folk remedies

Infection of flour with a tick is an unpleasant, but also common event. Each housewife must immediately take measures that will save the rest of the supplies from the voracious pest.

An effective folk remedy is a solution of vinegar in water (concentration - 1 to 2). The cabinet, in which there are cans of flour and cereals, free from all contents.All shelves and internal surfaces are cleaned of crumbs, dirt and dust, and then wiped with diluted vinegar. Such a caustic solution with a specific odor kills ticks.

Some put strong-smelling foods in a cupboard: for example, bay leaf or a clove of garlic. Indeed, this can scare away a barn tick. But the risk is high that products, especially flour and granulated sugar, also absorb a harsh aroma and acquire a specific flavor.

Preventative measures

It is almost impossible to avoid getting barn ticks into the storehouse together with products. Therefore, it is very important to observe a special regime and indoor microclimate, which is unfavorable for these voracious arthropods:

1. Maintain a low air temperature, at which the activity and reproduction of ticks is suspended. For climate control use special cooling systems, fans and air conditioners.
2. Humidity should not be too high. Therefore, it is necessary to eliminate all sources of dampness in the room: for example, leaking pipes.
3. Maintaining cleanliness is an equally important point. It is unacceptable that the store has no debris, waste or dust.
4. Fight against other pests: mice and rats. Rodents are carriers of the barn tick, spreading it over the area of ​​the premises on their paws, tail, wool ...
5. It is recommended to monitor the cleanliness of containers and vehicles in which products are transported.

These tips can also be used to prevent infection with the flour mite and at home. At least once a month, you need to wipe the shelves and walls of the cabinets, to prevent excessive humidity, which will harm the grocery reserves. Flour and cereals must be stored in a tightly closed container.

If a barn tick is wound up in the products, you should take the situation as seriously as possible until it brings a big one. The combination of cleanliness and the use of disinfectants will make pest control successful.