Circular No. 369 



Issued December 1935 



Revised August 1942 • Washington, D. C. 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Industrial Fumigation Against Insects 1 



By E. A. Back, principal' entomologist, and R. T. Cotton, senior entomologist, 

 Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction 1 



General mill or warehouse fumigation 3 



Requirements for a successful fumigation. 3 



Preparing the building for fumigation 6 



Desirability of a high temperature during 



the fumigation 9 



Effect of wind velocity 9 



Effect of light or darkness 10 



Choice of a fumigant 10 



Quantity of fumigant needed 10 



Applying the fumigant 10 



Ventilating the building after fumiga- 

 tion 11 



Fumigation with hydrocyanic acid gas. _ 11 



The barrel or pot method 12 



The liquid method 17 



The discoid method 21 



The powder method 23 



Fumigation with chloropicrin 25 



Fumigation with ethylene oxide-carbon 



dioxide mixture 26 



Fumigation with methyl bromide 27 



Fumigation with methyl bromide-carbon 



dioxide mixtures 29 



Fumigation with methyl formate-carbon 



dioxide mixtures 29 



Vault fumigation 29 



Use of fumigants suitable also for large 



spaces 32 



Use of other fumigants 32 



Carbon disulfide 32 



Carbon tetrachloride 33 



Ethylene dichloride 33 



Ethylene oxide 34 



B in fumigation 34 



Vacuum fumigation 35 



E quipment 35 



Page 

 Vacuum fumigation — Continued. 



Procedure 39 



Fumigation of various commodities 39 



Confectionery 40 



Vault fumigation for nuts 41 



Vacuum fumigation for nut meats ... 41 

 Fumigation of sacked peanuts in 



freight cars 42 



Fumigation schedule for candy 



factories 42 



Dosages 42 



Furniture 43 



Furs and garments 43 



Construction of storage rooms 43 



Dosages 45 



Effect of fumigation on furs 46 



Rugs and tapestries 46 



Dried fruit 47 



Treating the finished product 48 



Infestations in warehouses 48 



Cured meats and cheeses 48 



Stored tobacco 49 



Flour 51 



General mill fumigation 51 



Local fumigation 55 



Fumigation of flour warehouses 57 



Vault fumigation for flour or cereal 



mill 58 



Vacuum fumigation of flour products. 58 



Rice 58 



Cottonseed meal 59 



Safeguards to beemployed in fumigation work. 59 

 First aid for poisoning from hydrocyanic acid 



gas 60 



Shaefer prone-pressure method of artificial 



respir ati on 62 



INTRODUCTION 



Insect infestation is frequently a problem of considerable impor- 

 tance in the storage of many types of merchandise. During warm 

 weather or in heated buildings, foodstuffs, cereals, seeds, tobacco, furs, 

 fabrics, etc, are highly susceptible to infestation by insects, and 

 heavy losses are likely to occur unless adequate protection is given 



1 Charles M. Fergusson, safety engineer of the Department, has made numerous sugges- 

 tions for the safety of the fumigator, which have been incorporated throughout the text. 

 For fumigation safeguards see p. 59. 



464673°— 42 1 



