Twenty One Alphi WP 250g | Litter Beetle (Mealworms) & Red Mites

Twenty One Alphi Wettable Powder is a highly effective adulticide for treating Litter Beetle in Livestock and Poultry housing. Litter beetle can be very destructive and have been known to undermine the structure of some poultry units. They are also a known vector of disease. In broiler units the key issues of litter beetle appears at turnaround of chickens. As soon as the shed is emptied and food is removed in preparation for cleaning the beetles will migrate to cracks and crevices in the walls.

Litter beetles (Alphitobius diaperinus), also known as lesser mealworms, are one of the worst pests that you get as a poultry farmer. They reproduce quickly, carry diseases, damage buildings and are a nightmare to control!

They can enter easily poultry housing as they are present in the environment and are so prevalent in the poultry industry. They can be carried into units on packaging, egg trays and transportation crates.

Lesser mealworms are found in all kinds of poultry units, e.g. broilers, laying hens, ducks. They tend to be in higher numbers in sheds that house laying hens as the turnaround between the crops is much slower, meaning that there cannot be the same level of control as in broiler hens.

They Breed Rapidly

Average female litter beetles lay 400 eggs in their year-long life, but they could potentially lay as many as 2000. The eggs are around 1.5mm in length, with slightly rounded ends, and range in colour from white to tan. As the eggs are so small and sticky, they can easily become covered in dust and become impossible to see. Within a week, they hatch into larvae. The larvae are very active and are able to move avoid light and feed – they can even crawl onto and feed on weak birds! After a month, they fully grown and ready to emerge. Under the ideal conditions – 30-33– the lifecycle can take as little as 5 weeks.

The Damage Poultry Housing

Litter beetles are not considered a grain store pest as they are mostly found in poultry housing. However, they can be classed as a secondary grain pest as they feed on grains that have already been damaged. Grain spoilt by mould is particularly susceptible.

They can chew through Styrofoam, fibreglass and polystyrene insulation. This damage can cause significant damage and lead to increased heating costs. The insulation will also need to be replaced – leading to additional repair costs. In one study, it was found that heating costs were 67% higher in houses with beetle damage.

They Carry Disease

Lesser mealworms are known carriers of over 60 poultry diseases. These include avian influenza, Newcastle disease, Aspergillus, and parasites like coccidiosis and roundworm. Litter beetles are also intermediate hosts for poultry tapeworms and cecal worms. They are able to carry 26 pathogenic types of E. coli for 12 days and Salmonella spp. for 28 days. This can infect the next flock.

As insects are a natural food source for chickens, they are irresistible. Eating just one larva or adult infected with salmonella can pass the disease along to a day-old chick. The beetles are more of a problem in floor-litter systems such as breeding and broilers.

They can affect flock performance

Litter beetles can also decrease growth rates and egg production by becoming the primary food source. Litter beetles can eat significant amounts of feed. Due to this, they are attracted to poultry feed lines and pans and often congregate. Poultry may choose to feed on the beetles rather than their rations, which fills their digestive system with the hard, indigestible shells of the insects.

In heavy infestations and hot weather, the beetles are unable to find enough moisture in the litter and will bite birds around their feathers and vents.

How to control Litter Beetles

Like most poultry pests, they cannot be controlled through cleaning alone. Due to their burrowing action, they can hide in walls during pressure washing or steam cleaning. Their tough exoskeleton means that pressure washing simply washes them off the wall and that they just walk back to the walls.

They are also hard to kill with sprayed insecticides. Not only do they remain inside the walls, but they can also bury themselves into the muck and litter, which makes direct contact extremely difficult. Litter beetles also move in large numbers which makes it even more difficult to make sure each beetle receives a lethal dose of the active ingredient.

According to Mr. Dave Reece, Technical Specialist LODI UK says; that the best method of control is using Alphi Wettable Powder (WP) Concentrate and painting it in a 15cm band around the base of the building. Painting concentrates the active so they will receive a higher dose as they walk across the band to get from the litter back into the walls.

Unfortunately, while Organ-X Dessi-Dust is an organic way to control red mites and feather mites, it is not possible to control red mites using it. Their tough exoskeletons are too thick to be pierced by the microscopic diatoms.

Food for thought

With the popularity of biomass boilers means farmers are heating their sheds for longer, or maybe producers haven’t been able to kill them successfully so numbers have become out of control. This could be one of the reasons as to why they have become such a problem in recent years! Secondly, they tend to be in higher numbers in sheds that house laying hens as the turnaround between the crops is much slower, meaning that there cannot be the same level of control as in broiler hens.

Dosage: The recommended dosage is 250g of product per 50m2 surface spray.
Application: For 50m2 floor surface, dilute 250g of Alphi in 5 litres of lukewarm water.

Active Ingredient: Azamethiphos 10% w/w HSE 8851

View YouTube technical product demonstration video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAzN8iMNKso&ab_channel=LodiUK

-ENDS-