Storing seed

[Reubenvg]

Can you freeze bird seed to stop mice & weavels etc getting into it?

Thanks

[gomer]

I freeze sprouted seed.And feed it out as needed.I also freeze pollard when i purchase it then use it for mealworms,to kill any weavels and codling moth,before using it in my mealworm colony.

[Pete Sara]

a good air tight container like a big old white bucket with a lid that u can get from stock feed places or fish and tackle shops.even a big nappy bucket, a container with a screw lid smeared with vasoline on the inside of lid to keep weavles out , mice are to stupid to unscrew the lid. if you get weavles in the seed after this , they were probably in there when u bought it....pete

[finchbreeder]

And if the worst come to the worst weevils are a cheap form of live food.
Had my best season ever out of the Orange Breasteds the year I got a lot of weevils in the seed.
LML

[fincher]

for my seed ive got blue drum thats got the claping lid thing on it and holds around 80kg of seed and i got for $20 from the local swapmeet. and yes u can freeze seed. at work we freeze the seedbars that for 24hrs andthat killl 99% of weavels

[metaltrades01]

Any airtight container is suitable, although it is more economical to buy larger quantities, my understanding is that the weavils are already in the seed when you buy it. but the airtight container will keep out the moths. and watch out for the mice n rats!

[GregH]

Yes seed can be frozen to eliminate pests or prolong the life of the germ if you intend sprouting but there are some things to consider:
1) It's an expense that you may not need all the time as not all batched will be infected
2) Once insect pests are dead the seed can be removed and stored conventionally
3) Water will condense on frozen seed so make sure that it is in a sealed plastic bag and don't open it until the seed has equilibrated to room temperature. The bigger the volume the longer it will take so be prepared to wait a day for a 20kg bag.

[Tiaris]

A chest freezer shell or turned off freezer is my preferred seed storage vessel. Effective against mice & codling moth as long as the seed wasn't already infested before putting in there.

[Myzomela]

Tiaris,

Does the seed breathe ok given that the lid is sealed?

Perhaps GregH would like to comment also.

[GregH]

We did some experiments with hermetic seed storage of rice at IRRI a few years ago. The O2 levels went down quickly due to natural oxidation of reactive seed components and from respiration of the seed and included pests. The latter were all dead within 2 weeks and the germ was unaffected and compared to aerobic storage the germination was enhanced. There were however some degraded eating quality attributes with this method of storage but the nutritional value wasn't affected. A closed freezer won't be hermetically sealed but as has been pointed out it will be insect and rodent proof. Although it's well insulated the freezer should still be in the coolest place possible since if it is left in the sun it may get pretty hot inside and when it cools down at night you may find the grain on top has moisture condense on it as cools (sweats) which could lead to undesirable fungal growth.