Arthropod pests in the poultry industry

This chapter is presenting the main arthropod pests encountered in the poultry sector, including flies, cockroaches, lice, mites and the lesser mealworm. Each subsection highlights the biological characteristics, life cycle, prevalence, risks to animals and humans, and control methods used on farms with or without the presence of the birds, of each pest group. Some legal directives banning chemicals or imposing new welfare issues can also support these pest proliferations alongside resistance observed in many of these pest species, making control methods more difficult and relying on a combination of approaches to prevent control failures and income reduction. An integrated pest management programme for poultry arthropod pests would have three main components with the goal of keeping these pests below the density where their damage involves costs, welfare and production issues. These components are: (1) biological control methods; (2) chemical control methods; and (3) an educational approach for professionals involved in the poultry sector (farm staff, veterinarians, technologists and industrialists).