The ability of the lesser mealworm, Al- phitobius diaperinus(Panzer), commonly known as the darkling beetle, to transmit marker Salmonella Typh- imurium to day of hatch broiler chicks was evaluated, as well as the spread to nonchallenged pen mates. In trial 1, day-of-hatch chicks were orally gavaged with 4 larval or 4 adult beetles that had been exposed to marker Salmonella inoculated feed for 72 h. In addi tion, chicks were gavaged with the marker Salmonella in saline solution. These chicks were then placed into serve as challenged broilers In trial 2, all pens pens to received 2 challenged chicks that were gavaged with larvae or beetles that had been exposed to removed Salmonella inoculated feed for 24 h and then from the inoculated feed for a period of 7 d. At 3 wk of age, cecal samples from the marker Salmonella chal- lenged broilers and from 5 pen mates in trial 1, or 10 pen mates in trial 2, were evaluated for the presence