A3o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 6,1982
Collison covers latest in poultry insect control
BY GINGER SECRIST MYERS
Staff Correspondent
GETTYSBURG - Adams
County poultrymen were given the
lastest information on insect
control in poultry operations by
Clarence Collison, assistant
professor of entomology Extension
at Penn State, during a recent
program at the Adams County
Extension Offices.
Collison outlined the three basic
insect problems facing poultrymen
including manure breeding flies,
the poultry beetle complex, and the
Northern Fowl Mite. An open
question and answer period
followed his presentation.
Manure breeding flies is the
greatest nuisance to
poultrymen according to Collison.
Although flies cause no direct
damage to layers, they can cause
serious community relations
problems since they are carriers of
disease and filth.
In controlled environment
houses, the flies are able to breed
year round, particularly in high
rise deep pit houses where the
average ambient temperature is 70
degrees. In non-controlled en
vironment houses the problem is
not only the house fly but also the
little house fly with their greasiest
outbreaks being in the early spring
and late fall.
Collison recommends that the
solution to fly control is an in
tegrated program of sanitation,
which includes the proper disposal
of dead birds and cracked eggs,
manure management, and proper
moisture control, with the latter
the most crucial of the three.
According to Collison, flies can
breed in manure with a 30-85
percent moisture level. Poultry
manure has a 75 percent moisture
content which makes it an ideal
breeding ground for flies. Collison
states that in houses where the
scraper boards are run more often,
the manure is spread in thinner
layers and the moisture levels
decrease.
"There’s a lot more to fly control
than cleaning out,” Colhson said.
.Research has found that you are
actually aggravating the problem
by doing this since you raise the
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ammonia levels in the house and
ammonia actually increases fly
production.”
To control flies when the flock is
taken out, Collison recommends a
thorough cleaning, spraying
residual insecticide, and leaving
the house idle for awhile. However,
it may not be possible to take the
flock out. in this situation he
recommends cleaning out the
manure, spraying a residual in
secticide an the walls, baiting the
adult flies m the upper level, and
then spraying again five weeks
later.
"The second spray mg is crucial,
Collison said. "Anytime you just
clean out and don’t do the others,
you’ll have another tly outbreak in
2-3 weeks.”
Collison went on to discuss the
uses and the effectiveness ot
synthetic pyrethroids. New within
the last year, synthetic
pyrethroids, which all contain the
active ingredient Permethrm,
have a longer residual effect than
do the standard insecticides.
Poultrymen don’t need to apply
as much of the synthetic
pyrethroids, but they are more
expensive. They are marketed
under the names ot Ectiban,
Atroban, and Permectnn. The
rights tor Ectiban were sold last
July. It is now marketed by Hess &
Clark under the name insectrm
and by Ralston Purina as Hard
Hitter. These materials are ef
fective from 6-15 weeks depending
on the formulations and con-
centrations used and the type ot
wall surface on which they are
applied. Collison cautioned
poultrymen to follow label
directions carefully in regards to
concentration. He recommends
application at the rate of one gallon
to 750 square feet.
However, the latest
breakthrough in tly control is the
use of the Insect Growth Inhibitor
CGA-72662. Manufactured by
CIBA-Geigy this synthetic growth
regulator stops larvae from
completing development mto adult
flies. The product known as Lar
vadex has virtually 100 percent
effectiveness against the
development of adult flies, Collison
said.
According to Collison, Larvadex
has been tested as a feed through,
a water through, and as a topical
application on manure. He relates
that in studies conducted in 23
commercial houses there was no
effect on teed consumption, water
consumption, or egg production.
Complete control of maggots was
obtained in just two weeks after
Larvadex was mto the flock.
In the North, studies showed that
a two-week feeding ot Larvadex
followed by having it m every third
load of teed proved effective in tly
control. In the South, continuous
use is recommended. Since Lar
vadex is an insecticide it falls
under the control ot the EPA and
non FDA.
Collison states that CIBA-Geigy
has petitioned the Pa. Dept, ot
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Agriculture tor an emergency
registration of Larvadex as a feed
through insecticide This special
registration is gian’ed when
emergency need is shown and no
other product is currently
available. Collison is hopeful that
Larvadex will be registered by
March or April. Collison says he
tells that Larvadex should in
tegrate mcely mto fly-control
programs, including sanitation
and manure control plus its use
could eliminate certain cost and
control operations.
Also discussed was control ot the
lesser mealworm, the hide beetle,
and the larder beetle. Beetles are
responsible tor structural damage
m many poultry operations. Damp
moldy feed, dead birds, and
cracked eggs all provide that
perfect feeding ground for beetles.
Collison relates that beetles are
very hard to control since when
going from larvae to the pupae
stage, they bore mto wood or wall
surfaces and then emerge
sometime later as adults. Collison
recommends the use of Carbaryl
(Sevin) m a 5 percent dust at the
rate of 1 pound per 40 square feet
or Rabon m a 50 percent wetable
powder applied at 2.5 ounce per 100
square foot. Treatment is about a
six-week cycle. Neither the Syn
thetic Pyrethroids or Larvadex
has been effective against beetles.
The third insect problem
discussed causes the greatest
economic losses to poultry
producers. Northern Fowl Mites
take a tremendous toll on the
vitality of the birds they infest by
causing anemia, lowering egg
production by as much as Id
percent, lowering weight gains,
and in extreme population on the
bird, they can cause death. The
vent area of the bird becomes
infected first and supports the
highest population.
Colhson reviewed studies which
have determined that Pa. poultry
producers are using Sevin, Kabon,
and Malattuon almost exclusively
for mite control. He expresses
concern about these facts since the
mites can establish a resistance to
these over a given tune and
Northern Fowl Mite are already
highly resistant to Malattuon.
"We recommend that if you want
to control mites, you’ll have to mix
up the insecticides that you’re
using,’’ Colhson says. "Also, you
must use a detergent. Tide tor
example, as a wetting agent. You
have to cover the entire bird and
use enough pressure when ap
plying the spray to part the
feathers and wet the skin.”
Colhson also had news tor
poultrymen concerning mite
control. As of Jan. 29, a State
regulation was received tor the
marketing of Permetrm II and
Overtune L/P. These are the only
two formulations now labeled for
direct application to birds. They
are mixed in concentrations of 1
ounce to 5 gallons or 1 quart to 50
gallons and should be apphed at 1-2
ounce per bird.
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