The great outdoors teems with all kind of insect life story , many beneficial to the surroundings and luscious to fowl tastebuds . Avian appetites have limits , however : Some creepy-crawly - crawlies subsist that even crybaby wo n’t eat . These insects occasionally make themselves right at home in the henhouse , where they flourish secure from predation . The resulting horde might be harmless to our hens , but it emphatically irritates us . Read on for a brief data about three coarse coop invader and fashion to control these pests .
Asian Lady Beetles
Often calledladybugs , Asian lady beetles ( Harmonia axyridis , pictured above ) are really relative newcomer to the United States . Native to Japan , Korea and China , theAsian lady beetlewas inclose by the U.S. Department of Agriculture about 50 years ago to combat aphid and other insects damaging agricultural crops . Because of a foul - smelling fluid these spotted mallet secrete when disturbed , chickens wo n’t feed them , nor will other dirt ball - feed animals . With few natural enemies , the Asian ma’am mallet has thrived and , in many parts of the rural area , become a pain . These glitch feed in in yard and fields and are frequently find in crybaby runs . fall autumn , they swarm into structure such as crybaby coops to winter over .
The most reliable mode to remove Asiatic lady beetles from a coop , shed or any social system they ’ve invade is to vacuum them up . If your chicken coop has no electricity , scat an outside - quality extension phone electric cord and use a heavy - duty vacuum cleaner such as a Shop - Vac . Asian ma’am beetles typically inscribe structure through cracks rather than open doors . To minimise their presence in your coop , caulk all spaces between boards , and also around windows and vent opening move . Plug hole with computer hardware interlocking or cement .
Box-Elder Bugs
Heaven knows how many time I ’ve stood by my coops , imploring my birds to please feed the corner - elder bugs ( Boisea trivittata ) that take over our terrain double a class and swarm the sides of our barn , house and cage . These insect are not know to bite , channelize disease , or damage homes or crops . They ’re simply a nuisance , especially on warm , gay days when they cling in pack to exterior walls . Like the Asian Lady Beetle , thebox - elder bugreleases a foul - smelling fluid when vex , which deters volaille and other insect - eaters . Also like the ladybeetle , they try shelter as the cold month approach . boxwood - elder bugs often winter over in shed and coops , but they also nestle down under bedding material and junk . method acting of remotion and determent are the same as for the Asian Lady Beetles . If you havefemale corner - elder trees , you might regard removing them because they are the corner - elderberry bush bug ’s primary source of food for thought .
Darkling Beetles
oft mistaken for the roach , thedarkling beetle(family Tenebrionidae ) makes itself at home in any sheltered spot with plenty of natural bedding in which to tunnel . It pass its twenty-four hour period beneath the surface , egress at night to feed on decompose vegetation and shed fauna tissue , Very hardy animate being , darkling mallet can live as long as 20 years if they inhabit a safe shelter . Unfortunately , a born - floor volaille coop with spilled intellectual nourishment , shed volaille feather and skin , and unclean bedding hit the idealistic habitat for these insects . Eradicating them requires persevering coop management . Change your spate ’s litter oftentimes — at least once a week — to remove the organic detritus that darkling beetles corrode . Clean up any food for thought spills immediately . Remove any dense weeds around the coop and run that could give beetles tax shelter during the day . Avoid using the rich - bedding material method acting to inflame your coop , as the decomposing topic is a siren song for darkling beetles . Also important : Avoid offer your birds livemealworms , which are the larval form of the darkling beetle . Chickens adore mealworm , but one or two missed mealworm can result in a darkling - beetle future .
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