DDT for Control of Bedbugs in Poultry Houses

Abstract

THE common bedbug (Cimex lectularius L.) once it has become established in suitable breeding quarters may be difficult to control and almost impossible to eradicate. This is especially true in a poultry house where nesting boxes provide excellent breeding places in addition to being a suitable hiding place located near an adequate food supply.Bedbugs have been frequently reported as pests of chickens. The Mexican poultry bedbug (Haemotosiphon inodora) is commonly found in poultry houses throughout the Southwest. It has been also reported from Florida and probably might soon be recorded from favored localities in the Atlantic seaboard states north of Florida.The common bedbug (Cimex lectularius L.) (Fig. 1) often becomes numerous enough in the poultry house to become a serious pest. This bug is well known as a pest of humans and is not found infesting poultry as often as is the Mexican species. The common bedbug can .