Rodent Excreta Contamination and Insect Damage of Wheat.

A survey was made to determine the levels of insect damage and rodent excreta pellets in wheat. The analytical data obtained represented the various grade designations of wheat normally encountered during wheat grade certification in the 34 Agricultural Marketing Service, Grain Division, field offices. The mean and range of weights of insect-damaged kernels per 100 g and rodent excreta pellets and pellet fragments per kilogram were 71.5 mg (0-3809 mg) and 0.9 mg (0-100 mg), respectively. The mean and range of numbers of insect-damaged kernels and rodent excreta pellets were 3.3 (0-169) and 0.1 (0-11), respectively. The percentages of samples containing insect-damaged kernels and rodent excreta were approximately 35 and 7%, respectively.