Ash and Insects

Drugstore Beetle Photographs: Kamran Iftikhar

Ash, the residue left from burning fuel such as wood is a readily available product of civilization that has a variety of uses. Ash can be abrasive and have some insect deterrent effect. Some cultures have traditionally mixed ash with stored grains and seeds in attempts to reduce insect infestations. R. Miller notes the presence of ash spread around saddle querns in tombs at Amarna may have been an effort to reduce insect infestation of the grain left in the tomb. However, the use of ash to protect foods may be more of a prayer than effective strategy. Several scientific evaluations of ash as an insecticide found that in some cases, incremental reduction results, but the results are typically not satisfactory.