Use of ivermectin to control the lesser mealworm (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in a simulated poultry broiler house.

Broiler chickens were fed ivermectin at a level of 2 ppm for 5 wk to determine its efficacy against the lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus. This treatment essentially eliminated lesser mealworm larvae; no ivermectin residues were found in the livers of the treated chickens, even without a withdrawal period. However, the feeding of ivermectin may reduce body weights body weight gain and feed efficiency at older ages.