INDUSTRIAL FUMIGATION AGAINST INSECTS 



REQUIREMENTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL FUMIGATION 



Success in the fumigation of any large building or enclosure de- 

 pends upon the proper planning and execution of the work, the care- 

 ful preparation of the building, and the correct choice of the fumi- 

 gant and time of its application. The building must be made as 

 nearly gastight as possible in order to avoid waste of gas and to 

 retain a lethal concentration of the fumigant as long as possible. 

 All machinery or special pieces of apparatus must be cleaned and 

 opened up to allow maximum penetration of the gas. 



The temperature must be high enough to render the insects sus- 

 ceptible to the fumigant and to allow for its most efficient action. 



Figure 6. — While industry in general has not found it feasible to promote insect sanitation 

 by introducing a fumigant into the shipping unit as it moves through the packing 

 machinery, this is a method that has been satisfactorily employed. The fumigant, in 

 liquid form, is automatically introduced in each container just previous to the entry of 

 the commodity and the sealing of the container. 



The fumigant must be suitable for the building in which it is 

 used and for the contents of the building. The quantity must be 

 great enough to allow for the loss through poor construction of the 

 building, absorption by the contents of the building, and adverse 

 weather conditions. The fumigant must also be properly applied 

 and distributed. The exposure must be long enough to permit maxi- 

 mum penetration and killing effect. 



Precautions must be taken to see that all persons are out of the 

 building before the fumigation is started, and are kept out during 

 the fumigation and thereafter until the building has been properly 

 ventilated and declared safe to enter. Arrangements should be made 

 for quickly ventilating the building at the end of the fumigation. 



PREPARING THE BUILDING FOR FUMIGATION 



It is essential that the building be made as nearly gastight as pos- 

 sible. A modern concrete building having windows with steel frames 

 is excellent for fumigation purposes, since little effort is needed to 



