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Funded Project
Funding Program: Regional IPM Competitive Grants - Northeastern
Project Title: Development of Alternative Darkling Beetle Management Strategies for Poultry Producers in the Northeast
Project Directors (PDs):
Donald Rutz [1]
Phillip E. Kaufman [2]
J. Keith Waldron [3]
Kathy Murray [4]
Lead State: NY

Lead Organization: Cornell University
Cooperating State(s): Maine
Extension Funding: $29,637
Research Funding: $104,092
Start Date: Apr-15-2002

End Date: Apr-14-2005
Pests Involved: darkling beetles, litter beetles
Site/Commodity: poultry
Area of Emphasis: cultural controls
Summary: The darkling beetle and other "litter beetles" have emerged in recent decades as the most important arthropod pests of poultry production worldwide. The beetles are vectors of human and animal pathogens, cause costly damage to production facilities, and create public health/nuisance problems when they emigrate from farms or from land on which infested manure has been spread. The beetles are difficult to control with pesticides, of which only a few are available. The removal of any of the handful of remaining products registered for beetle control could create a crisis for the U.S. poultry industry.

We propose a multi-state project (New York and Maine) that will deliver critically needed management solutions to U.S. poultry producers. In Objective 1, the relative susceptibility of beetles to pesticides registered for their control will be documented from multiple populations. This information will be used to identify developing resistance problems and to determine the status of future beetle control after removal of organophosphate and carbamate insecticides. In Objectives 2 and 3, we will evaluate manure handling/management strategies (composting, tarping, and soil incorporation) that some producers are already employing as alternatives to pesticides. These proposed solutions are cost-effective and easily incorporated into existing production systems. We anticipate that implementation, facilitated through proposed Extension outreach activities and web site development would be rapid and widespread.

Objectives: Research
1. Determine the resistance status of Alphitobius diaperinus to three commercially available insecticides (NY, ME).

2. Evaluate non-insecticidal, in-house management strategies for control of A. diaperinus (NY, ME).

3. Evaluate non-insecticidal, outdoor management strategies for control of A. diaperinus (NY).

Extension
1. Strengthen existing and develop new relationships with leading producers that ensure adoption of research results.

2. Develop new and relevant Extension print and web publications based on the latest research results.

3. Disseminate research results to multipliers across the region and nation.

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