Dung beetles

[Gusbear]

The yard we are moving to uses dung beetles. The owner’s OH is a top horticulturalist so he must know what he’s doing. In all honesty I’ve never heard of a yard using this before. Call me naive. Apparently they help keep the worm count down.
Anyone here have experience of this?
BTW I’ve just googled them and they look a little scary to be honest.

 

[Twohorses]

I can't speak to the Dung Beetles in the UK but here in the U.S. They are a welcome sight to many of us.

However, over the years, I have regretfully killed most of them off with the various de-worming pastes that I use.

I have only de-wormed 2-3 times annually as my horses are on large acreage, on my property but I still managed to take out the Dung Beetles,,whom I view as great farm neighbors.

I have noticed a small comeback now that I am down to two horses.

Far as bugs are concerned ---- I wasn't looking when I got off my 4-wheeler to catch one of the horses for his chiro visit, a few days back. Suddenly I was being stung thru my heavy knee-high socks by something. A whole "herd" of young fire ants was crawling up my sock, stinging as they went. They were all dead before I got back on the 4-wheeler with my horse in tow.

I don't go out of my way to harm the Dung Beetles or the Mud Daubers (Blue Wasps) as the Mud Daubers are the only friendly creatures that can kill Black Widows, which like to live under the salt block holders

My question to the "save the Dung Beetles" person is, how does that person propose
to maintain a De-worming program without killing off the Dung Beetles, since most de-wormers kill the beetles when it's in the manure?

 

[Goldenstar]

Wonderful little things since we stopped working regularly and went to FEC’s they are all over our place if you turn the dung over in summer .
We stable after worming or use the small turnout squares and poo pick .

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I worm twice a year generally-I keep them in a corral after worming and poo pick. I have very healthy populations of dung beetles in all three of my fields (fields all in different locations).

 

[Carrottom]

I usually see loads if I poo pick in the summer, feel quite guilty disturbing them. I think so far this year it has been too cold for them.

 

[conniegirl]

we worm and then keep in for 24 hr after worming. not got huge populations of dung beetles but do see them occassionaly

 

[Polos Mum]

We have some in the UK but I would like tonnes. The UK ones are an amazing electric blue colour underneath! I am careful about worming to avoid killing the small number I have.

When I worked in south Africa if a horse did a poo on the yard (sand tie up area) they could hear or smell it and would fly in (much bigger over there than in the UK) and the whole thing would be gone after an hours ride. If you could engineer them to work like that in the UK I'd imagine you'd make a fortune from all the people keen to give up poo picking and spending ££'s on field fertiliser!

 

[Fiona]

Love them, they make huge finger width holes under the poo as well. I wonder what they do down there..

Fiona

 

[MotherOfChickens]

there was a site called dungbeetlesdirect.com but they dont seem to be in business anymore.

if you want them in your paddocks, dont poo-pick absolutely everything https://dungbeetlemap.wordpress.com/dung-beetles/

 

[EventingMum]

Mr EM was amazed when we were poo picking the other day to see a lump of dung moving apparently by itself across the ground, it was a very spritely dung bettle underneath!

 

[Merrymoles]

They are supposed to be great for drainage which is a good thing, given the "summer" we are currently having - peeing down again here.

I like seeing them too - they are busy little things

 

[Keith_Beef]

I read something in the Economist's Science and Technology section a few weeks ago about how great dung beetles were for keeping E coli populations in check...

https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2019/05/16/organic-farmers-fields-are-faeces-free

 

[Tarragon]

Same pony same day (as poo pick daily). Right hand pile has been dung beetle processed 😁
Second photo showing decent sized hole