Bed Bugs in Poultry Facilities: Monitoring, Managing, and Mastering Solutions for a Critical Pest

Commodities

• Animals: poultry

Practices

• Animal Production: animal protection and health
• Education and Training: extension
• Pest Management: biological control, integrated pest management

Project Focus: This project focuses on bed bug (Cimex lectularius) infestations in poultry facilities that cause substantial economic losses and pose worker retention concerns. Some producers have reported spending over $100,000 annually on control methods with limited success (Poh et al. submitted). The farming community engaged includes poultry facility owners, managers, and workers who directly handle areas affected by bed bugs. Through our Ectoparasite Task Force (EFT) led by Penn State's College of Agriculture, which includes industry representatives, faculty, students, and Extension expertise, we've identified critical needs that include reliable monitoring methods for bed bugs, effective control strategies, especially for organic facilities, bilingual education on bed bug management, and biosecurity practices for farms and residential settings.

This project advances Northeast SARE priorities by delivering measurable outcomes across multiple areas including (1) Protect health and safety: The activities will result in 90% of participants reporting an increased capability to manage bed bugs, protecting poultry workers, (2) Promote animal well-being: The IPM framework reduces bird stress and enhances welfare while maintaining productivity, (3) Maintain natural resources: By prioritizing organic-approved control agents and non-chemical practices, we protect soil and water quality.

Solution and Approach: Our project proposes a comprehensive solution combining research and education. Our research goal is to evaluate Spinosad, an insecticide derived from the chemical compound produced by the bacterium Saccharopolyspora spinosa, as an effective alternative for bed bug control by examining its efficacy against various strains, including resistant populations. This investigation will assess three concentrations of Spinosad. Approved for use in poultry facilities, Spinosad's safety and broad-spectrum effectiveness make it a viable option for both residential and commercial pest control.

Additionally, the study will explore ecological traps incorporating Spinosad and other organic-friendly agents like Beauveria bassiana to monitor and manage bed bug populations, leveraging their behaviors to enhance control strategies. Ultimately, the research aims to improve bed bug and other ectoparasite management practices in poultry production systems.

The educational approach forms the core of our solution, featuring:

1. Development of bilingual educational materials on bed bug identification, management, and biosecurity practices for farm and residential settings,
2. Creation of a comprehensive toolkit including posters, infographics, manager and worker training SOP, and pocket guides,
3. Implementation of interactive workshops and assessments to reinforce

We will employ a robust evaluation process to ensure effectiveness, using pre- and post-surveys, interviews, capability assessments, and practice adoption checklists. Success will be measured by participants' increased confidence in managing bed bugs and implementing effective control strategies.

By combining research on monitoring and trap-and-kill tools with comprehensive education, we aim to empower the poultry industry to better manage bed bug infestations, ultimately improving economic outcomes and worker satisfaction.

Twenty integrators, farm managers, and/or farm workers representing at least 200,000 chickens will adopt bed bug management and biosecurity practices to prevent or manage bed bugs following the program. The measurable social benefits of the project will be demonstrated by achieving the following: 1) 100% of participants will increase the number of IPM tools they use for bed bug management, and 2) 90% of participants will attribute an increased capability to reduce bed bug movement and effectively manage and prevent infestations, and a decrease in bed bug transmission fear, to their involvement in the program as compared to pre-enrollment evaluation.