Pest management in food industries: monitoring with pheromones

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24 March 2026 - News

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Monitoring and HACCP protocols: how to improve pest management in food industries

Pest management in food industries is an essential component of food safety. The presence of pests in the production and logistics areas of the food industry represents a concrete risk to product quality and to compliance with regulatory and certification requirements.

Food‑storage insects, rodents, and other pests can compromise products in several ways. They can cause microbiological contamination, deterioration of raw materials, and damage to packaging materials. To reduce these risks, food industries must adopt strategies for the prevention, monitoring, and control of pests, integrated within HACCP protocols.

Main insect pests of foodstuffs in food companies

Food bugs are a major critical issue for food production, processing, and storage facilities.

Among the most common weed species are:

Plodia interpunctella (flour-banded moth)
Ephestia spp. (species of the genus Ephestia)
Cadra spp. (species of the genus Cadra)
Lasioderma serricorne (tobacco anobium)
Sitotroga cerealella (wheat moth)
Tribolium confusum spp (Tribolio)

How infestations develop in food companies

These weeds find optimal conditions of development in environments with high availability of food substrates, such as cereal raw materials, flours, semi-finished products, cocoa, dried fruits and processed products. The consequences of infestations are multiple:

contamination of foodstuffs (insects, life stages or fragments);
qualitative deterioration due to trophic activity, excreta or microbial development;
loss of commercial value and compromise of product standards;
detection of non-compliance in the framework of inspection audits and official controls.

infestanti-delle-derrate-alimentari-produzione-alimentare

Weed monitoring and risk prevention in the food industries

In modern Pest Management strategies, the main goal is to prevent the onset of infestations and promptly identify any outbreaks. For this reason, monitoring, which includes periodic inspection of all areas of the premises, is essential. Monitoring allows you to:

identify the weed species present in the structure;
evaluate the trend, type and degree of infestation;
identify critical points within the plant;
plan targeted and timely interventions.

Thanks to monitoring, it is possible to confirm the possible absence or presence of pest, verify the effectiveness of the interventions implemented and plan further control measures, if necessary.

Pheromone traps: an essential tool for control and prevention

Why pheromones are so effective

The use of traps with pheromones and species-specific attractants is an essential monitoring tool for obtaining reliable entomological data. These systems indeed guarantee high selectivity towards the target species and the counting of catches is simple and immediate, facilitating data recording.

Where pheromone traps are placed

In industry, pheromone traps are placed at strategic points of the plant, such as:

raw material warehouses;
food storage areas;
food production lines;
packaging areas.

Among professional solutions, systems such as STORGARD® II allow the monitoring of the main lepidoptera and beetles that infest foodstuffs thanks to the use of species-specific pheromones such as Plodia spp., Ephestia spp. and Lasioderma serricorne.

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Storgard® II Quick Change Ultra Combi

Ready-to-use monitoring station with pre-installed pheromone for monitoring lepidoptera and foodborne beetles. The new pheromone release system extends the life and stability of the trap.

Pest management and the HACCP system: why weed control is strategic for food safety

In the food industry, the HACCP-based self-monitoring system is considered the fundamental tool for preventing and managing risks that can compromise food safety.

Among the fundamental prerequisites of the HACCP system, pest control plays a strategic role as it allows for:

prevent biological and physical contamination;
maintain high hygiene standards in production environments;
ensure compliance with quality and safety requirements.

Weed management requires structured tools, skills, and procedures to identify critical points, analyze potential entry points, and activate effective control measures whenever a potential risk is identified.

Training courses for weed management in food companies

To learn more about operational techniques, procedures, and regulatory requirements related to weed management throughout the food supply chain, our Infestalia school provides training courses designed for pest control professionals.