Storage pests are among the most significant biotic threats to agricultural yield and safety. Obviously, the nutritional value of feed is the paramount factor in proper development and fast growth of farm animals, but feed hygiene and biological safety are not less important. In Poland, the production of industrial feed has been initially expected to amount to almost 12 million tons in 2019. Worldwide increase of meat consumption and animal production causes growing demand for plant-derived feed. molitor has not been a significant problem in farm animals so far, our case indicates that the presence of mealworm beetles is a potential threat to animal welfare and health. This is the first documented case of potentially lethal gastric canthariasis in weaned pigs, caused by invasion of T. Corrective actions reduced the number of deaths back to basal levels.

molitor larvae were found in their stomachs, especially in the non-glandular oesophageal region, on average 2–3 larvae per 10 cm 2 of gastric mucosa.

In the spring, we registered a significantly increased mortality among weaned pigs.

molitor-caused canthariasis in pigs in large scale closed-cycle farming. In addition to being an important factor in feed hygiene, the insect can also be an epidemiological factor of canthariasis. molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) (Linnaeus, 1758) is one of the most important cosmopolitan primary storage pests, scavenging on a variety of post-harvest grains and affecting the quality and safety of food and feed.

Download living mealworms