4 LEAFLET 2 3 5, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



dried and free of infestation before being sealed up. Cylindrical 

 paper cartons, such as those used for ice cream, have tight covers and 

 also make suitable storage units for dried fruits. As an added pre- 

 caution, the lids may be sealed with cellulose tape. Heavy paper bags 

 can be made insect-tight by gluing down the folds at the bottom and 

 folding the top over several times before fastening it with paper clips. 

 Cloth bags cannot be depended on to exclude insects or mites during 

 prolonged storage. In storing dried fruits it should be borne in mind 

 that newly hatched storage insects are very small and that some are 

 able to enter crevices only one-eighth millimeter wide, or about five 

 one-thousandths of an inch. 



Sanitation 



Infested cereal products and stored grain, nuts, and fermenting 

 fruit waste favor the multiplication of the kinds of insects that 

 infest drying or dried fruits, and the elimination of breeding sources 

 of this nature will aid in controlling insect infestations in home-dried 

 fruits. Burial at a depth of 3 feet is recommended for control of in- 

 sects breeding in waste fruits. In hot, dry climates the control can 

 be accomplished simply by spreading waste fruits and fruit pits thinly 

 in the sun. 



Extreme care should be taken to eliminate sources of infestation 

 present in any dried fruit remaining from the previous crop. Con- 

 taminated dried fruits and other infested materials should first be 

 removed from the storage space. The shelves and floor should be care- 

 fully cleaned and all debris and sweepings burned. The glass, metal, 

 or wooden containers previouslv used should be well cleaned and im- 

 mersed for a few seconds in boiling water. 



U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 194S 



