Natural *Predator ’ Beetle Could Control Poultry House Flies ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.) Entomology professor Charles Pitts remembers when, a few months ago, while sorting through layer house manure in Maytown, he found some strange-looking beetles. At first, Penn State referred to the unknown predator as the May town beetle. But they realized it had a documented name the red-legged ham beetle. Scientific name? Necrobia rufipes. What the Penn Slate fly research specialist found was that the beetle is a natural, generalized predator that could eat fly larvae and eggs. Fly specialists may have struck gold, in a way, because now another beetle could possibly be used to combat the nagging flies prevalent in layer and broiler houses. Pitts spoke to about 33 produc ers and agri-industry representa tives about the research on the reg legged ham beetle and other ground-breaking university research on fly control in poultry houses last week at the Penn-State sponsored Poultry Management and Health Seminar at Kreider’s Restaurant. The beetle, measuring only about a quarter inch in size with a Roundup Ready Soybeans. A New Freedom In Weed Control. With Roundup Ready™ soybeans, you’ll experience the freedom to control virtually any weed... any size... any time. You can apply Roundup® Ultra herbicide over-the-top of Roundup Ready soybeans and be assured of maximum yield potential and excellent crop safety as well as: * The widest application window—from emergence through flowering • Broad-spectrum weed control • Effective control of large and small weeds • An excellent fit in all tillage systems • Simplified weed control • No carryover or rotational crop restrictions • No need for tank mixes or residuals Roundup Ready ■ .oylfc.n. and Roundup* Ultra are trademark, of Mon.an.o Company Aiwa,, read and follow label direct.on. for Roundup* Ultra herbtc.de Roundup Ultra w.ll k.ll .oybean. wh.ch do not exprecc the Roundup Ready* tene 01996 Monumo t ompany midnight metallic green color, sports reddish legs. The males are smaller than the females, but the mature beetle and the larvae sport good mandibles for eating. The larvae is white with a reddish brown head and tail. The beetle is “a new thing we ran into that might be an additional tool” to control fly populations in poultry houses, noted Pitts. Prob lem is, more research is needed to ensure that the natural predator doesn’t eat other types of beetles used in the house to control flies. Studies are under way to see if. when the house populations of fly larvae drop and food becomes scarce for the red-legged beetle, it doesn’t resort to eating dry food or the live natural beetles used in the house. Also, Pitts has helped coordi nate and conduct research into the use of pH controls on fly popula tions. He has used various acid treatments. The pH has been low ered in samples of manure, which kills fly populations readily. Recommendations can be used for spot treatments in the manure, according to Pitts. But right now, use of pH is too expensive for whole house treatments. Also, more work is under way on the use of black plastic on man ure. Windrowing piles of manure York, PA: 1-800-836-3720 Mifflinburg, PA: 1-800-338-2137 with one triple axle load, covered over with black plastic and sealed with dirt, considerably reduce fly populations over two weeks. The ammonia released by the manure kills the fly population. In addition, more homeowners are taking the initiative to deal with flies. A successful test was under taken in Clinton County using a variety of fly traps, spaced 50 feet apart at least SO feet away from the houses, along with fly strips on the front and back porches of houses. The important key is the baits draw flies, and need to be set up a dis tance of at least SO feet from the house. The fly traps are inexpen sive, and using a dry bait works well. At the meeting, Pitts asked the producers to consider that cock roaches, in addition to mice, could spread salmonella both mechani cally and biologically in the poul try house. It is important to inspect houses at night, because roaches are noctural insects. They can spread salmonella readily through a poultry house. Now that spring is here, fly con cerns will be on the uprise, accord ing to Pitts. An issue that occupies the mind of Pitts is the “ag-uitan interface” and the importance of communication between farm neighbors. Freedom From Weeds. LSE3 SOYBEANS r~: ~~~i Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 23, IM6-All “A lot of people are picking up on it very well,” he said. “Tliey think it’s a serious thing and they’re working with the neigh bors and talking to them. “But there are still some people in the industry that are not being cooperative and it’s causing them a lot of grief.” It is important to keep the talks and the “interchange” of ideas to solve the problems going. Income Opportunities Seminar BEDFORD (Bedford Co.) The cooperative exten sion services of Pennsylvania, West Virginia. Virginia and Mary land, and the Saint Francis College Small Business Development Center have announced a sixth annual seminar designed to help develop income opportunities for rural people. The seminar is scheduled for April 13 at the Everett High School in Everett, Pennsylvania. The cost is S2S per person and cover lunch, breaks and printed materials. (A $lO discount is offered for a sec ond person from the same farm or home.) The deadline for registration is April S. The annual event brings ROUNDUP READY SOYBEANS Early group 111 maturity Excellent emergence High yield potential Tolerant to Roundup 0 herbicide Adapted to conventional and no-till environments Late group IV maturity Very good emergence High yield potential Tolerant to Roundup herbicide SCN resistant - races 3 and 14 Moderate Phytophthora tolerance Good double crop choice NOW AVAILABLE FOR SPRING PLANTING York, PA: 1-800-836-3720 Mifflinburg, PA: 1-800-338-2137 "You can save yourselt a lot oi grief if you really talk with these people and not try to ignore them," he said. Pitts recalled one producer who spread chicken manure, along with partially composted chickens, into a Held, and dogs walked into the fields and dragged the carcasses away. "The attitude you take in work ing with these people is key,” he said. together landowners and produc ers of specialty crops and services with regional experts in many non traditional farm and forest enterprises. Production topics are to include raising Christmas trees, deer farm ing, herbs, woodlots, meat goats, organic foods, fish farming, mushrooms, portable sawmills, ginseng and plant nurseries. The seminar is for those who want to supplemerft income, inves tigate new ventures, or disversify existing operations. For more information, call a loc al extension office or Susan Fox. director of the Bedford County Cooperative Extension, at (814) 623-4800. Bedford is serving as the host extension service office. A ASGROW AG3OOI AG4701
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