Prevalence and Control of Confectionery Pests

Abstract

1. Confectioneries sampled from a total of 56 retail stores in Tokyo Metropolitan District and 10 other outlying prefectures were surveyed for its susceptibility to insect pests. The samples consisted chiefly of chocolates and nut-containing caramels. The stores were selected taking their geographical locations and environments into consideration while the checking time was settled so as to coincide with the period when the pests were seasonally rampant. Result: Signs evidencing their infestation were not shown.
2. Despite the absence of phisical damage to the confectioneries, the containers used for displaying and storing the content at the retail stores were, on many occasions, found to contain pests, within them, namely, Plodia interpunctella and Oryzaephilus surinamensis.
3. A list of 15 insects considered to fall under the general category of cenfectionery pests has been made, as classified by material constituting the confectionery so well as by that used in packaging it.
4. The author recommends the use of pesticidal agents as a measure of preventing, and controling the occurrence as well as damage of confectionery pests. An appropriate pesticide administration to both the warehouse and retail store in early stages of insect propagation will promise an effective control. The results of tests conducted by the author were proved to be completely satisfactory. The control agent used was gassifying type synthetic resin preparation containing dimethy1-2, 2-dichlorovinyl phosphate, which is available in plate forms.