DMancaater Farming, Saturday, January 1$ 1993
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Penn State
Poultry f \
Pointers ;
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
Dr. Charles W. Pitts
Professor of
Entomology
Proper cultural practices
encourage poultry manure accu
mulations containing populations
of beneficial predators and para
sites that can suppress house fly
populations.
In the Northeast, macrochelid
mites and hister beetles are the
major predators in caged-layer
operations. Parasite populations,
of major importance in the south
ern United States, are present at
lower densities. Less is known
about the role of parasites in sup
pressing fly populations in poultry
houses in the North. ■
The mafcrochelid mite,
MACROCHELES MUSCAE
DOMESTICAE, is the most com
mon mite in poultry manure. The
reddish-brown mite, slightly less
than 1/16-mch in size, feeds on
house fly eggs and first instar lar
vae. It can consume up to 20 house
fly eggs per day. Mites are found
on die outermost layer of the man
ure, particularly its peak. Macro
chelids can cause substantial
reductions in house fly numbers,
but large mite populations are
required for any appreciable
impact. Efforts, therefore, should
be made to conserve natural popu
lations present in the manure.
About 3-4 weeks of manure accu
mulation is necessary for mites to
become established.
Another mite that may be found
in poultry manure is the uropodid
mite, FUSCUROPODA VEGE
TANS. It feeds only on first instar
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fly larvae deeper in the manure,
complementing the egg-feeding
activity of the macrochelid mite on
the manure surface.
The principle hister beetle in
northeastern poultry houses is
CARCINOMAS PUMILIO, a
small black beetle approximately
1/8-inch long. It feeds on house fly
eggs and first instar larvae. The
potential as a predator appears
similar to the macrochelid mite.
Adult and immature hister beetles
live m the surface layers of the
manure and forage for fly and mite
prey. Like macrochelid mites, his
ter beetles do not seem attracted to
fresh manure and it may take six
weeks for significant populations
to develop. Another hister beetle,
GNATHONCUS NANUS, is also
present at lower numbers on poul
try farms in the Northeast.
Tiny stingless parasites attack
most of the common manure
breeding flies. Parasites are rarely
noticed because they are extremely
small (1/16-1/8-inch) and can
occur naturally in low numbers on
many farms. They live in manure
or other decaying organic matter
and search for pupae. Adult female
parasites lay an egg in the pupar
ium where the developing parasite
larva consumes the pupa and
emerges as an adult parasite.
Because of naturally low para
sitism levels, control programs
have been based on mass releases
of laboratory feared parasites.
Some parasites are available from
commercial insectaries. For a
release program to be successful,
the producer needs to consider
which species and strains, and in
what numbers, to release. Parasite
strains must be climatically
Forest Stewardship Workshop
MONROEVILLE (Allegheny
Co.) If you own forestland in
rural Pennsylvania but live in the
Pittsburgh metropolitan area, you
won’t have to travel very far to at
tend a forest stewardship work
shop this winter.
The first Forest Stewardship
Landowner's Workshop in a major
urban area will be held from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Palace Inn in
Monroeville on January 23.
Jon Kolb, former offensive
lineman of the Pittsburgh Stcelers
and a Pennsylvania forest land
owner, will kick off the program
with an introductory speech. The
workshop is sponsored by the
Pennsylvania Forest Stewardship
Program in cooperation with The
Western Pennsylvania Conserv
ancy, Pennsylvania Environment
al Council, the Frick Nature Cen
ter, the Audubon Society of West
ern Pennsylvania, the Ruffed
Grouse Society, and Westmore
land Woodlands Association.
If you’re interested in forest re
sources management and con
servation, you won’t want to miss
this opportunity. The workshop
will cover forest management
planning, wildlife habitat manage
ment, biodiversity, limber taxes,
estate planning, and other subjects
useful to woodlot owners. Thcsls
adapted to the planned release
area. Parasites currently offered by
commercial insectaries have prob
lems maintaining pure cultures.
Most producers should concen
trate on conserving and building
their native predator and parasite
populations by using proper man
agement techniques and by mini
mizing insecticide use.
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fee covers lunch and a snack. A
comprehensive notebook of ste
wardship related materials will be
offered for sale separately.
“Did you know that one out of
every 10 families in Pennsylvania
own forestland?” asked Dr. Ste
phen Jones, assistant professor of
forest resources at Penn State and
eocoordinator of the Forest Ste
wardship Program’s educational
eomponent. “Stewardship work
shops arc a vital way of getting the
message of sound forest manage
ment out to forest landowners
acorss the state. The Pittsburgh
workshop is a way to reach land
owners who often have been left
out of the information loop be
cause they don’t live on or near
their woodlands.”
“Over the years and some
times through past mistakes re
source managers have learned a
great deal about using forests for
multiple benefits without destroy
ing the complex and delicate bal
ance among the plants, animals
and natural forces in a forest eco
system,” said Yuri Bihun, Penn-
Pork Industry Representative Wanted
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
Pennsylvania Pork Producer
Council is seeking individuals to
serve as a pork industry represen
tative. Applicants, male or female,
should be between the ages of 18
and 23 years old. Participants
should have a strong background
and sincere interest in the future of
the pork industry. The selection
process will be completed at the
Keystone Pork Congress, Harris
burg, on February 17.
The selection process will
Contracts Available For Hogs, Finishing
And Sow Units. For More Information Call
Northeast Agri Systems, Inc.
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sylvania Forest Stewardship Pro
gram associate.
!A forestland owner can reap
the economic benefits from limber
harvesting without sacrificing the
forest’s other benefits, such as air
and water purification, soil con
servation, wildlife habitat, and
recreational and aesthetic values,”
Bihum said.
At the workshop, landowners
will learn about another program
component which gives forestland
owners technical and financial as
sistance in designing and imple
menting sound forest management
plans.
“The more people who get in
volved in the program, the better
chance Pennsylvania has to leave
a legacy of healthy, productive
forests for future generations,”
Jones said.
For more information about the
Pittsburgh workshop, contact:
Eric Oesterling, Westmoreland
County Cooperative Extension,
P.O. Box 250, Grcensburg, PA
15601-0250, (412) 837-1402.
include personal application and
interview. The pork representative
must be able to attend the Pork
Leadership Institute on July 15-20
in Des Moines, lowa. The attendee
will expand their communication
and human relation skills by
attending state activities such as
conferences, media interviews,
service on state committees,
boards, and county programs. For
more information, call Floyd Hub
er, youth Committee chairman
(215) 944-6687.
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