Arthropods in litter of poultry (broiler chicken and turkey) houses

Samples (110) of litter were collected from 26 commercial broiler chicken houses (18 farms) and 30 turkey (brooder and growout) houses (15 farms) in North Carolina, and the arthropods within the litter were recovered by using Tullgren funnels. Mites extracted from the litter samples belonged to two orders (Parasitiformes and Acariformes) and nine families (Macrochelidae, Urodinychidae, Trematuridae, Parasitidae, Digamasellidae, Laelapidae, Cheyletidae, Acaridae, Eremulidae). Predatory macrochelid mites (Macrocheles muscaedomesticae [Scopoli]), M. merdaria [Berlese], Macrocheles sp.) were collected in 45% and 49% of the litter samples from poultry houses in 1993 and 1994, respectively. Other predatory mites extracted were Fuscuropoda marginata (Koch) and Cheyletus malaccensis Oudemans. In addition, 110 duplicate litter samples were held with sentinel eggs of the darkling beetle Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) to detect mites preying on the eggs; the mite Acarophenax mahunkai Steinkraus & Cross (Acarophenacidae) was recovered from two broiler houses and one turkey house. Insects collected from the litter samples belonged to seven orders and 14 families. Alphitobius diaperinus was the dominant insect species and was found in all litter samples. The predatory histerid beetle Carcinops pumilio (Erichson) was found in 59% of litter samples. The pyralid moth pest Pyralis farinalis L. occurred in 10% of the litter samples.