Use of a vibrating screen to separate small live insects from agricultural commodities

摘要

Small live insects are separated from green coffee beans or similar sized agricultural commodities by vibrating a screen on which the beans are placed at a frequency of at least 60 cycles per second. The insects are inactivated by the vibrations and fall through a multiplicity of apertures in the screen sized smaller than the beans but larger than the insects. The vibrating screen is usually capable of removing substantially all of the small live insects from the beans. The insects separated from the beans can then be suitable disposed of.