How to Prevent and Control Pests During the Storage Period of Wood Ear Mushrooms
Wood ear mushroom is a type of fungus with relatively high nutritional value, and eating it regularly is good for our health. There are many ways to prepare wood ear mushroom; whether stir-fried or served cold, it is very crisp and popular with consumers. Friends who cultivate wood ear mushrooms will find a problem after harvesting them: during the storage period, wood ear mushrooms are especially prone to pests, so how should they be prevented and controlled?
1. Stay away from pest sources
We all know that wood ear mushrooms have many common pests, including termites, long-horned grain beetles, grain moths, and so on. They often overwinter in cracks in warehouses, on packaging materials, and on miscellaneous items. Therefore, before storing wood ear mushrooms, we should clean up these miscellaneous items indoors and weeds outdoors, and use chemicals to carry out disinfection measures properly. Seal the area for about two or three days. After disinfection is complete, be sure to ventilate thoroughly, then place the wood ear mushrooms in the warehouse, and scatter some quicklime around the warehouse. This can effectively prevent pests from entering the room and attacking the wood ear mushrooms.
2. Kill pests in time
If pests are found during the storage period of wood ear mushrooms, corresponding measures should be taken promptly to deal with them. First, the wood ear mushrooms can be placed in the sun for one day; if there is no sunlight, a dryer can be used directly to dry them and kill the pests. Then we seal the warehouse for half a month, which can kill the pests. Finally, the oxygen in the warehouse can be extracted and nitrogen injected. Generally, within two days the pests will be unable to breathe and will die.
3. Do not let wood ear mushrooms become damp
Because of weather conditions, wood ear mushrooms easily become damp, and once they become damp they are very prone to pest problems. Therefore, when putting wood ear mushrooms into storage, they should be dried properly. Generally, the moisture content of wood ear mushrooms must not exceed 12 percent, and then they should be placed in aluminum cans or plastic bags and sealed. If they are placed in cardboard boxes, a moisture-proof bag must be laid down first, and some quicklime or dry wood shavings can also be added. Every half a month, check whether the drying materials have become moist. If they have become wet, put them outside in the sun or dry them and then put them back in the box, so the wood ear mushrooms will be less likely to become damp. If the wood ear mushrooms have already absorbed moisture, it is best to dry them again before storing them.
4. Fumigation
Fumigation is also a good method for preventing pests when storing wood ear mushrooms. During the specific operation, the warehouse must be sealed, and then fumigation carried out. This method has a fairly obvious effect, especially when a large number of pests occur. Generally, a few grams per cubic meter is enough. Aluminum phosphide is used for fumigation, and it just needs to be spread out in the warehouse. After fumigation, seal it for three days, and then ventilate for half a month before storing wood ear mushrooms again.
The above is the answer to how to prevent and control pests during the storage period of wood ear mushrooms. We hope it is helpful to you.