Darkling Beetle Control
Darkling beetles and their control is a major concern for poultry growers. Darkling beetles and their larvae, lesser mealworms, harbor a number of poultry diseases and are a serious food safety concern by serving as a source of transmission for Salmonella and Campylobacter. They also can eat chicken feed, tunnel through and destroy insulation, and chickens like to eat them (darkling beetles are not digestible so chicken fill up on them rather than feed and they don’t get the weight gain).
The overuse of pyrethroids such as Bifenthrin (tradenames Actishield, Talstar and Nemesis), Cyfluthrin (Tempo and Optashield), Esfenvalerate (Valorshield), Gamma-cyhalothrin (StandGuard), Lambdacyhalothrin ( Grenade, Demand and OxyFly), Permethrin (Tenguard) and Pyrethrin (Riptide) to control darkling beetles has led to a resistance problem. Insecticides such as Chloryrifos (Duratrol Darkling Beetle Spray and Durashield), Spinosad (Elector PSP) and Imidacloprid (Credo) offer different modes of action and are an alternative to the pyrethroids. Chloryrifos requires a certified applicator to apply it. A new biological control, Balance, is going to be an option. Balance is the tradename for a fungal disease that only affects beetles.
Listen to Dr. Nancy Hinkle, University of Georgia Extension entomologist, on On The Farm at OTF-HinkleDarklingBeetleControl for the latest information on darkling beetle control.
Darkling beetle larvae (Photo by Aubree Roche)
Darkling beetle adult (Photo by Aubree Roche)
Fantastic info. Our growers have been complaining about not getting the control that they use to get. If you have this in a word format please send me a copy so I can put in our local newspaper. Thanks!!!
hello, i have a question i have the mealworms in my home, i live in maine, and i also have these strange looking black and white beetle too, how do i get rid of them, i have found fifteen or so of them?
The first thing to do is to identify the beetles. You may want to bring them to your local Extension office and see if they can send them to a entomologist to i.d. them. Usually the best way to give rid of beetles in the home is to find the source and then determine how to control them. I might to able to i.d. them from a good picture send to me or you can mail them to me at Coffee County Extension Office, 709 East Ward Street, Douglas Georgia 31533. I guess without seeing them or having a better desciption they may be carpet beetles.