INDUSTRIAL FUMIGATION AGAINST INSECTS 



39 



CONFECTIONERY 



Since the insect problems of the candy and nut-meat industries are 

 rather closely associated, it seems logical to discuss them under one 

 heading. Nut meats are highly susceptible to insect attack, and 

 because they are used in large quantities in the manufacture of 

 candy, they constitute an important source of insect infestation in the 

 candy factory. 



Figure 34. — Automatic record of four vacuum fumigations conducted during a period 

 of 24 hours. Hours of day and night are indicated on the circumference of the chart. 

 Figures in circles indicate: (1) Vacuum pump started; (2) chamber exhausted to 

 28.5 inches of mercury; (3) fumigant (ethylene oxide-carbon dioxide mixture) intro- 

 duced; (4) treatment period of 2 hours; (5) vacuum pump operating and breaker 

 valve opened simultaneously, providing an air wash of product fumigated; (6) treat- 

 ment cycles similar to (4) ; (7) last fumigation of day allowed to continue over- 

 night ; (8) doors opened, commodity removed, and a new lot placed in chamber; (9) 

 vacuum pump started before breaker valves were opened, accounting for the rise in 

 vacuum at this point. 



Most firms handling nut meats attempt to ship only insect-free 

 nuts. To do this they keep their factories and storage warehouses 

 as free from infestation as possible, in addition to fumigating all 

 outgoing merchandise. A yearly fumigation of the factory with 

 hydrocyanic acid gas, supplemented by constant attention to clean- 

 liness, will reduce insect infestation to a minimum. A dosage of 8 

 ounces of liquid hydrocyanic acid or its equivalent per 1,000 cubic 



