Litter beetle: refining traditional methods to combat a persistent pest

The litter beetle (Alphitobius diaperinus) is one of the most common and persistent pests in poultry facilities. It reproduces quickly, carries disease, affects crop performance, damages buildings, and is difficult to control. As the name suggests, litter beetles are more of a problem in floor-litter systems, so are more of an issue for broiler farmers than commercial egg farmers. Here we look at tweaking traditional treatment methods.

Litter beetle is one of the most persistent pests affecting broiler farmers

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.

How to deal with litter beetle

As with most pests, good management and biosecurity measures can help ward off an infestation:

  • Water: Litter beetles need moisture to thrive. Check your pipes and drinkers for leaks.
  • Feed storage: Spilled feed or poorly stored feed can help start a beetle infestation.
  • Litter management: Try to keep the litter in poultry houses dry and remove any wet bedding.
  • Insecticide rotation: Litter beetles can build up a resistance to many insecticides. It's important to have an integrated pest management plan in place to addresses litter beetle resistance.

The traditional method of applying insecticide

The traditional treatment for little beetle is with a residual insecticide upon turnaround, once the shed is empty and has been cleared of litter. A band of insecticide is sprayed around the walls at a metre high, in anticipation of the beetles passing through it as they retreat to the roof when the shed cools. A second treatment like this, after the cleaning stage, is considered best practice.

In reality, if the first treatment is applied by the cleaning team, the shed has often cooled sufficiently for the beetles to have already retreated to the roof, before the band of insecticide is applied. Then the cleaning team comes in and cleans the first treatment off, rendering it largely ineffective. If the second treatment is then applied (and many are tempted to forgo this), it will kill some beetles as they descend back into the shed, but they fall onto the freshly cleaned floor.

Timing is everything!

We have worked with farms struggling with recurring litter beetle infestations and have found that timing is everything when it comes to applying the band of insecticide. This is most effective before the shed has cooled and before the beetles have retreated to the roof, so we recommend that the band of insecticide is applied immediately after catching. This way, most of the beetles pass through the insecticide on the way up to the roof, then fall onto the floor ready for the cleaning team to deal with. The critical thing is that the band is applied within minutes of the birds being removed.

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Orchard spraying

We work with a number of contractors across the UK and have developed a very efficient and effective way of tackling litter beetle using an orchard sprayer to apply Vulcan C insecticide. Vulcan C is specially formulated for volume spraying with an orchard sprayer but can also be used in a lance sprayer for applying band treatments. A good coverage of insecticide can be achieved very quickly with an orchard sprayer after the litter has been removed, even reaching into the roof space where litter beetle may have retreated. Many farms are now combining an annual orchard spray with a regular turnaround band treatment as a precautionary measure to keep litter beetle under control.

We offer bespoke pest control and cleaning programmes depending on individual circumstances, factoring in the essential rotation of treatment types to avoid the build-up of resistance to any one insecticide. Get in touch to speak to one of our experts.