Lesser Mealworm (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Emergence After Mechanical Incorporation of Poultry Litter into Field Soils

Abstract

Lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer), emergence from North Carolina field soils was evaluated in a controlled experiment simulating land application of turkey litter and again in field studies. Adult lesser mealworms were buried in central North Carolina Cecil red clay at depths of 0, 8, 15, 23, and 30 cm and the beetles emerging from the soil counted 1, 3, 7, 10, 13, 17, 21, 24, and 28 d after burial. Beetles emerged from all depths and differences among depths were not significant. Beetles survived at least 28 d buried in the soil at depths < or =30 cm. In seasonal field studies, lesser mealworm emergence from clay soil with poultry litter incorporated by disk, mulch and plow was compared with emergence from plots with no incorporation. Incorporation significantly reduced beetle emergence when poultry litter containing large numbers of beetles was applied to clay field soils during the summer (F = 3.45; df = 3, 143; P = 0.018). Although mechanical incorporation of poultry litter reduced beetle emergence relative to the control, greatest reductions were seen in plowed treatments. Beetle activity was reduced after land application of litter during colder months. Generally, lesser mealworm emergence decreased with time and few beetles emerged from the soil 28 d after litter was applied. Similarly, mechanical incorporation of poultry litter into sandy soils reduced beetle emergence (F = 4.06; df = 3, 143; P < 0.008). In sandy soils typical of eastern North Carolina, disk and plow treatments significantly reduced beetle emergence compared with control.

The lesser mealworm Alphitobius diaperinus: a noxious pest or a promising nutrient source?

“…However, in contrast with poultry farms, where A. diaperinus is, together with flies, the major insect pest (Strother & Steelman ; Calibeo‐Hayes et al . ; Retamales et al . ), data from faunistic studies in grain storage facilities classify A. diaperinus as a secondary insect pest of grains and related amylaceous commodities.…”

Transient gut retention and persistence of Salmonella through metamorphosis in the lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

“…Their mobility, indiscriminate feeding habits and their potential to then be preyed upon by poultry facilitate the dissemination of Salmonella . Current farm management practices perpetuate infestations and contribute to the dissemination of beetles and pathogens (Calibeo‐Hayes et al. 2005).…”

“…Producers are challenged to reduce pathogen load at the farm level; however, poultry management standards accept the reutilization of litter for successive flocks of broilers. The lesser mealworm can survive between flocks rotated onto the same litter, where they add to the bacterial exposure of the new flock or to the environment when the insect‐laden litter is removed for application onto nearby fields (Armitage 1986; Calibeo‐Hayes et al. 2005).…”

Evaluation of Salmonella Movement Through the Gut of the Lesser Mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

“…Harein et al (1972) found that 27% of A. diaperinus samples collected from a turkey brooder house were positive for Salmonella. An infestation of A. diaperinus can be difficult to control, and these pests are often inadvertently dispersed to neighboring poultry houses and residences by the spreading of beetle-containing spent litter onto fields as fertilizers (Armitage 1986, Calibeo-Hayes et al 2005. Consequently, they are potential participants in the dissemination of pathogenic bacteria into the environment.…”