Large-scale trapping and acoustic detection of beetles in grain storage using the “Beetle Sound Tube”-system

The "Beetle Sound Tube"-system has been developed for early detection of insect
infestation in grain storage. Large perforated metal tubes were inserted in the grain mass that
were supposed to bundle insect signals from the surrounding grain and lead it to a microphone
inside the tube. The tube was also used as a trap to sample the insect population surrounding
the tube. While the acoustic detection worked with granary weevils Sitophilus granarius the
sounds of much smaller beetles that were predominantly present in the storage facilities in our
project were not audible inside the tube. Therefore, the focus of the project was changed from
sounds originating in the grain to sounds produced by trapped beetles inside the collection
containers. While we started with an acoustic tube with trap function by now, the system
changed to a beetle trap with built-in acoustic detection and evaluation unit which makes it
more sensitive and less susceptible to acoustic disturbances and more suitable for practical use
in storage facilities.