Evaluations of sampling methods for darkling beetles (Alphitobius diaperinus) in the litter of turkey and broiler houses.

Materials placed on the litter in turkey and broiler houses were evaluated as sampling devices for the larvae and adults of Alphitobius diaperinus (lesser mealworm or darkling beetle). Insects harbored in, on, and between pieces of the materials were counted after 1-week exposure. Pan traps consisting of two stacked pieces of 1.3-cm thick foil-covered polyisocyanurate insulation (Celotex) placed under a protective metal pan staked to the litter surface was a more effective sampling device than pan traps using thicker (5 cm) Celotex, 3.8 cm thick polystyrene (Styrofoam), or two stacked pieces of wood. A tube trap consisting of rolled fluted corrugated cardboard inserted in a section of polyvinyl chloride pipe was as effective a sampling device as the two pieces of Celotex in a pan trap and was more convenient to use. Six pieces of corrugated cardboard stacked under a pan caught larger numbers of beetle larvae and adults but was awkward to handle and impractical. Placement of sampling devices in the major subhabitats (open center, near walls, near feeders, and near waterers) in turkey and broiler houses affected catches of beetle larvae and adults. The open center area was satisfactory and most convenient.