Effects of Poultry Manure Moisture and Poultry House Construction Materials on Movements of the Lesser Mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), a Structural Insect Pest in High Rise Caged Layer Houses

Abstract

Observations were made on the effect of manure moisture and high rise caged layer house manure pit wall construction on adult and larval lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) dispersal behavior. Larvae preferred to remain in manure habitats of 30 and 40% moisture, and dispersal from the manure significantly increased when manure moisture was increased to 50 and 60% levels. Adults were more active than larvae in the 30 and 40% manure moisture treatments, and the adult rate of dispersal also significantly increased with increased manure moisture levels. Larvae could climb a significantly greater distance up a vertical wooden surface than up a vertical concrete block surface. These data suggest that high rise houses built with wood pit walls and support beams that are set directly into the ground are predisposed to greater levels of insulation damage than houses built with concrete block foundations.