The Pest Infestation Control Laboratory was a government-run laboratory in Slough during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and for some years after it, conducting research into

food security Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, healthy Human food, food. The availability of food for people of any class, gender, ethnicity, or religion is another element of food protection. Simila ...

History

The field station was first established in 1929 by the

Imperial College of Science and Technology Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a cultural district in South Kensington that included museums, ...

on the Hurworth Estate; it was the college's first such field station and was located one mile east of Slough.National Archives
/ref> However, pest research had already gained the interest of the

Empire Marketing Board The Empire Marketing Board was formed in May 1926 by the Colonial Secretary Leo Amery to promote intra-Empire trade and to persuade consumers to 'Buy Empire'. It was established as a substitute for tariff reform and protectionist legislation and ...

, and in the late 1930s the Grain Infestation Survey Committee was set up. In 1938,

Sir William Beveridge William Henry Beveridge, 1st Baron Beveridge, (5 March 1879 – 16 March 1963) was a British economist and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was a Progressivism, progressive, social reformer, and eugenicist who played a central role ...

was asked by the British government to make preparations for securing food supplies in the case of war, and he asked for the help of Professor James Munro at Imperial College. Munro believed a significant problem was insect infestations in grain stores, which went unreported, and he recommended "an intrusive examination of food stores". An entomologist in Munro's Stored Products Research Laboratories, Geoffrey Herford, was given the task of conducting a grain survey. On 1 April 1940, the Imperial College field station at Slough became the Pest Infestation Laboratory of the

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, abbreviated DSIR was the name of several British Empire organisations founded after the 1923 Imperial Conference to foster intra-Empire trade and development. * Department of Scientific and Industria ...

, and Herford was appointed as its director. He remained in charge until March 1968. After the Second World War, some staff at the unit moved to

Silwood Park Silwood Park is the rural campus of Imperial College London, England. It is situated near the village of Sunninghill, near Ascot in Berkshire. Since 1986, there have been major developments on the site with four new college buildings. Adjacen ...

, which is the rural campus of Imperial College, where work was carried out on chemical insecticides. In February 1984, the government set up the Crops Protection Committee, which later found that up to 10% of stored grain was at risk from pest infestation.''New Scientist'', 18 October 1984, page 12
/ref> Fumigation was the most popular way to eradicate pests.

Function

It carried out research on attacks by fungal and

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

pests on

harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...

crops A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. In other words, a crop is a plant or plant product that is grown for a specific purpose such as food, fibre, or fuel. When plants of the same species a ...

, to help farmers implement pest control strategies. The laboratory studied the life history, habits and physiology of pests (mainly insects). Insecticides that would limit insect population, or eradicate them, were studied, such as by

fumigation Fumigation is a method of pest control or the removal of harmful microorganisms by completely filling an area with gaseous pesticides, or fumigants, to suffocate or poison the pests within. It is used to control pests in buildings (structural ...

. It worked largely with biologists and chemists at Imperial College, including the zoologists Octavius Lubatti and Albert Page. In the 1980s it carried out research on the ''indestructible''

Pharaoh ant The pharaoh ant (''Monomorium pharaonis'') is a small (2 mm) yellow or light brown, almost transparent ant notorious for being a major indoor nuisance pest, especially in hospitals. A cryptogenic species, it has now been introduced to vir ...

, by looking at analogue hormones.

Structure

The main site was at the Slough Biological Field Station, partly run by the

Ministry of Food Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

. The Infestation Control Division was built at

Tolworth Tolworth is a suburban area in the Surbiton district, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Greater London. It is southwest of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Berrylands, Chessington, Epsom, Ewell, Kingston upon Thames, Kingston, Lo ...

References

External links

Imperial College
{{authority control 1940 establishments in the United Kingdom A4 road (England) Agricultural research institutes in the United Kingdom Biological research institutes in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures in Slough Defunct environmental agencies Entomological research institutes Environmental organizations established in 1940 Food security History of Slough Research institutes of Imperial College London Insect control Organisations based in Slough Pest control organizations Research institutes established in 1940 Research institutes in Berkshire Scientific organizations established in 1940

History

Function

Structure

See also

References

External links