Research note: the hide beetle, Dermestes maculatus DeGeer (Dermestidae), feeds on live turkeys

Abstract

The beetle Dermestes maculatus, which is known to feed on dry, protein-rich, stored materials, has lately become a pest of wood and insulating polymers of poultry houses. Its carnivorous attack on live birds is recorded in this paper for the first time. These attacks resulted in deep wounds to adult male turkeys. When beetle larvae were offered simultaneously calf meat, chicken meat, and pellet feed for rodents, no clear preference was noted.