Causes: Darkling beetle, also known as lesser meal worm. Not true parasites of birds, but may occasionally feed on living skin.

Effects: Unthriftiness in birds (increased feed intake and decreased production). Darkling beetles are important as vectors for other parasitic, bacterial or viral diseases.

Darkling beetles infest poultry houses around the world. The beetles live in the litter where they feed on, feed, manure and dead or moribund birds. The life cycle of darkling beetles requires from 1-3 months for the development of the larvae, and the adults can live for 2 years. Beetles are small (0.5 cm) and can be easily seen under feeders, waterers or along the walls of the house. The larvae are worm-like and will avoid light.

Beetles within a poultry house can number up to 1000/m2. They are important to the poultry industry as possible disease vectors, by damage to insulation and as pests. Only adults and late instar larvae-seeking population sites and tunnel in the insulation. Their climbing activity takes place at night. Beetles can be found throughout the poultry house; eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults are in litter and soil.

The beetles live in the litter where they feed on, feed, manure, and dead or moribund birds. Beetles are small (0.5 cm) and can be easily seen under feeders, waterers or along the walls or the house. The larvae are worm-like and will avoid light.

Due to the beetles’ ability to utilise many niches in the poultry house, control is difficult to achieve with any single approach.

Stored gains and feeds should not be allowed to become infested with insects. Infested material should be fumigated. Control of lesser mealworms and beetles requires an integrated attack that utilises all approaches to manage the population. Any control strategy must take into account that there will be a number of eggs, larvae, pupae and adults in the soil and walls of the building. These life stages will not come into immediate contact with an insecticide, and if the insecticide does not have a long residual life, control of the beetles will be shortened.

The best approach is to clean out after each flock. Another is to utilise carefully timed insecticide treatments. Houses should be treated with an insecticide immediately after the flock is removed. Clean up feed and water spills. The darkling beetle is not tolerant of temperatures below 40ºF. If the air temperature is less than 40º, the house should be opened up at clean-out to allow the temperature of the litter to drop as low as possible. By using cultural controls, low temperature clean-out schedules, and chemicals, beetle populations can be managed and maintained below damaging levels. Other products include permethrins, tetrachlorinphos, and dichlorvos.

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