Programs for biological control are usually based on the release of predators and parasites so that no hazard is posed to the natural environment. Coleoptera of the Histeridae family feed on the larvae of synantropic diptera, enabling their use in the control of such flies. The objective of this work was to carry out a survey of the Histeridae species present at a poultry house situated in the city of São João da Boa Vista, state of São Paulo, Brazil, aiming to describe their seasonality and the possible associations between the adult specimens. Samples were collected from the poultry houses from January 2001 to December 2002, using two collection methods: soil traps and Berlese funnel. The following Histeridae species were encountered: Euspilostus modestus, Euspilostus spp., Carcinops troglodytes and Hololepta quadridentata. The number of specimens found for each species depended on the collecting method. In the case of the soil trap, E. modestus corresponded to 87.01% of the total number of collected individuals. On Berlese funnel, method C. troglodytes corresponded to 84.38% of the total number of collected beetles. The presence of E. modestus and H. quadridentata was significantly correlated to climatic variations, and positively especialy rainfall (P<0.05 and P<0.01 for E. modestus and H. quadridentata, respectively).
Carcinops troglodytes; Eupilostus modestus; natural enemies; poultry house
