Resistance of Drums and Barrels Containing Nonfat Dry Milk to Insect Invasion

Excerpts from the report Introduction: The resistance to insect invasion of fiberboard drums and wooden barrels in which nonfat dry milk is packed for storage under the Government price-support purchase program is of considerable concern to both the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and the producers of the milk. If the drums and barrels are tight enough to prevent invasion by species of dermestid beetles, any infestation found in stored dry milk must originate before or at the time of packaging, and the producer must concentrate on measures at the plant to prevent this occurrence. If, on the contrary, the barrels and drums are readily invaded by the insects, measures to improve the containers or control the sources of infestation in the warehouse are needed. Experiments were conducted at Madison, Wis., during the period 1955 to 1957 to study the resistance of the containers to insect invasion and to explore the possibilities of treating the containers with insecticides to improve their resistance if such were necessary. These experiments were made in cooperation with the Livestock and Dairy Division, Commodity Stabilization Service.