Why are litter beetles a problem?
Disease is overwhelmingly the biggest concern where litter beetles are present. They carry many poultry diseases, including avian influenza, Salmonella, Newcastle disease, E. coli, Aspergillus, and parasites like coccidiosis and roundworm. Litter beetles are also intermediate hosts for poultry tapeworms and cecal worms.
The litter beetle reproduces very quickly – the female can lay as many as 800 eggs in a lifetime. The eggs are difficult to detect and hatch into larvae within a week. After a month, they are fully grown and ready to emerge. In warm conditions, 30-33ºC, the life cycle can take as little as five weeks. Litter beetles are difficult to detect - they like dark areas and will quickly disappear underneath things when lights are switched on. They can be found under bales and feeders and in cracks in the floor and walls. The larvae burrow into floors and walls and when the shed cools at the end of each crop, litter beetles retreat to the roof, all causing significant damage. Once there, they can chew through Styrofoam, fibreglass and polystyrene insulation which will need to be repaired in order to avoid increased heating costs – both expensive.
Litter beetles can consume a significant amount of feed and they often congregate around feeders. Beetles are tempting and filling for birds but not nutritious, and broilers feeding on the hard, indigestible beetles rather than their feed will have reduced growth rates and be exposed to any diseases carried by the beetles or larvae.
A beetle infestation must be tackled with an insecticide. They are hard to kill because they have tough exoskeletons and hide in many places. They also move in large numbers, so achieving direct contact with a lethal dose for each beetle can be tricky.