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New Composting Technique Reduces Fly Populations on Poultry Farms

July 13, 2005

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Homeowner complaints about flies are on the rise as housing developments expand into poultry and other livestock farming areas. Several Penn State researchers are helping to combat the problem through an innovative composting technique that reduces flies and other pest populations in commercial poultry production without spraying pesticides.

According to Penn State Cooperative Extension Educator Dr. Gregory Martin, using traditional pesticides to control these pests is often times no longer effective. "The flies have become immune to the sprays rendering the materials ineffective. We've discovered that a composting method used in conjunction with an integrated pest management program can be quite successful," Dr. Martin explains.

The use of composting to reduce pest populations can serve as a component of a poultry producer's integrated pest management (IPM) program. IPM aims to manage pests -- such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals -- by combining physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe, profitable and environmentally compatible.

Dr. Martin along with Clyde Meyers, Penn State Cooperative Extension Educator, and Dr. Paul Patterson, associate professor of Poultry Science at Penn State, conducted a series of experiments mixing hardwood shavings, straw and other materials into poultry manure to create natural compost. Conducted inside a chicken house, under standard poultry production practices, the compost was mechanically turned using a Compost Cat machine. "By feeding the compost through the Compost Cat every two to three days, we were able to raise the temperature to an average of over 125 degrees in some cases," says Dr. Martin. "The high temperatures killed the flies in the pupal stage, thus decreasing fly populations in a non-chemical way."

The experiment relies on the fact that in order for fly pupae to eventually develop into adult flies, conditions need to be slightly warm and dry. "Since fly pupae cannot move, they become 'prisoners' in the less-than-optimal environment of the compost pile," Dr. Martin explains.

According to Dr. Martin, this composting method reduces populations of other pests as well. "We've seen reductions in poultry house rodents because we've essentially disturbed their nesting materials. Other insect pests, such as darkling beetles, were also affected," he explains. "If pesticides are ever needed, they become more effective because fly resistance to the pesticide never has a chance to develop during the year."

Dr. Martin says this composting method should be integrated into a program that includes scouting for pests and using best management practices, such as keeping the chicken houses clean and dry. Dr. Martin also says the researchers will continue to survey traditionally impacted areas to monitor growth of fly populations.

The project was funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. For more information on the composting project, contact Dr. Martin by email at gpm10@psu.edu. For more information on fly control and animal IPM, call 1-800-PENN IPM and visit the 'Pest Problem Solver' at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/17.htm.

The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or visit Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/. To view our archived news releases, see Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/10.htm.