Ecology and Management of Arthropod Pests of Poultry

Abstract

The worldwide spread of modern, high-density confined poultry production systems under the direction of integrators has intensified the importance of a select number of arthropod ectoparasites and habitat pests. This concentrated production of poultry provides artificial ecosystems that are sometimes ideal for the development of large populations of arthropod pests. At the same time the systems are amenable to integrated pest management involving a multipest and multimethod approach to reducing or eliminating arthropod pests. Since rodents are major pests, they should be included in an integrated pest management program to make the program most cost-effective and attractive to the integrators and producers (5). Quantitative data are scarce on economic effects, and the concept of economic thresholds is difficult to apply either to ectoparasites or to habitat pests. The risk of transporting ectoparasites among flocks is difficult to evaluate and necessitates treatment after early detection of the arthropods. Flies and litter beetles present a threat of disease transmission and the potential for lawsuits from neighbors or public health agencies that are factors not subject to easy cost estimates. The monetary losses of a flock devastated by disease or a farm forced to close are so great that the risks are unacceptable. Production losses from lowered feed conversion ratios and insulation damage are likely to be detected by the sophisticated record-keeping of the integrators. Minimal use of pesticides and other chemicals on poultry and in poultry housing is an objective of the integrators and, consequently, an integrated pest management (IPM) approach that reduces the need for pesticides is attractive. The key to further development of effective arthropod management programs for poultry is the implementation of pest and disease monitoring programs for the complete system. Improvements in arthropod sampling methods and more attention to monitoring the biosecurity systems to minimize ectoparasite dispersal are needed. The integrators have servicemen who regularly visit the production facilities and can be trained to perform monitoring functions and to instigate and supervise integrated pest management measures. With the increasing use of computers by the integrators, the prospects for utilizing the monitoring data in predictive computer simulation models for pest management decision-making justify more efforts to develop such tools (64, 102, 168). Future poultry pest management programs must be based on sound data, which presently is too limited, and must be flexible enough to adjust rapidly to evolving pest problems in rapidly changing production systems.

Acaricidal activity of Asarum heterotropoides root-derived compounds and hydrodistillate constitutes toward Dermanyssus gallinae (Mesostigmata: Dermanyssidae)

“…Economic losses due to chicken mites have not been quantified, but the mites can cause anemia, transmit diseases, lower production, and increase feed consumption (Kirkwood 1967;Kettle 1993;Axtell and Arends 1990;Chauve 1998;Na et al 2011). The mite is also found to be a possible vector of a variety of poultry pathogens including avian spirochetes, chicken pox virus and eastern equine encephalomyelitis (Lancaster and Meisch 1986;Durden et al 1993;Chauve 1998).…”

“…The mite is also found to be a possible vector of a variety of poultry pathogens including avian spirochetes, chicken pox virus and eastern equine encephalomyelitis (Lancaster and Meisch 1986;Durden et al 1993;Chauve 1998). Occasionally, D. gallinae causes dermatitis and a nuisance to people working at heavily infested poultry houses (Hoffman 1987;Axtell and Arends 1990;Rosen et al 2002;Na et al 2011). Production is affected through reduction in the growth rate of hens and decreases in egg production and egg quality (poor shell integrity and blood staining of the shell surface) (Chauve 1998).…”

Candidate predators for biological control of the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae

“…It is of economic importance as a worldwide pest in the poultry industry (Axtell and Arends 1990). This holds especially for 'laying hen' houses because the period of egg laying and breeding of domesticated chickens (Gallus gallus) is long (Maurer et al 1993;Emous et al 2005) relative to the time required for poultry red mites to double their population size (5.9 days at 25°C; Baumgärtner 1992, 1994).…”

Inert dusts and their effects on the poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae)

“…Infestation of a layer house with poultry red mites may cause signiWcant irritation and anaemia in the birds and in severe cases may lead to death (Kilpinen et al 2005). There have been reports of heavy mite infestations leading to reductions in egg production (Kirkwood 1967), and the mite is also known to be a possible vector of a number of avian pathogens, such as Newcastle Disease virus and avian spirochaetes and also of zoonotic bacteria such as Salmonella (Axtell and Arends 1990;Valiente-Moro et al 2007). In addition, egg quality may be downgraded due to bloodspots from crushed mites on the eggshells (van Emous et al 2005).…”