Filth Flies

Abstract: House fly, Musca domestica, is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha, (Diptera: Muscidae). It is a cosmopolitan pest that carries pathogens on its body, faeces and can cause food borne illnesses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Amphotericin B on house flies using specific tools such as poison baits. The concentrations of poison baits used were 0.5%, 1%, 1. 5% and 2%. Amphotericin B -based bait was used as positive control while the no bait (water, sugar syrup and granular sugar only) was used as negative control. Post feeding, 9.88%, 10%, 12.2%, 12%, and 12.23% of house flies were found dead after 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days follow up respectively. Amphotericin B significantly reduced the density of house flies. We recommend that the effectiveness of Amphotericin B on wild strains of house flies and other nuisance insects such as cockroaches be investigated in future.

The efficacy and residual efficacy of commercial baits, Quick Bayt (0.5% w/w imidacloprid) and Agita (10.0% w/w thiamethoxam) against synanthropic flies were evaluated under field conditions. Efficacy was evaluated based on knockdown percentage (KD %). The bait efficacy and residual efficacy evaluation were conducted for a period of 3 weeks and 6 weeks respectively. Baits were applied onto bait targets and placed on fly-count targets to facilitate the counting of flies. All baits were applied according to the manufacturer's recommended application rate. Three replicate treatments for each type of bait were placed at the study site each week. The number of flies feeding on baits and the knocked down flies were counted and collected. The efficacy of Agita and Quick Bayt did not differ significantly (t-test, P>0.05) over the 3-week period, even though Quick Bayt had a slightly higher KD% than Agita. In the residual efficacy evaluation, the (knockdown) KD% of Quick Bayt was consi...

Abstract: House fly, Musca domestica, is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha, (Diptera: Muscidae). It is a cosmopolitan pest that carries pathogens on its body, faeces and can cause food borne illnesses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Amphotericin B on house flies using specific tools such as poison baits. The concentrations of poison baits used were 0.5%, 1%, 1. 5% and 2%. Amphotericin B -based bait was used as positive control while the no bait (water, sugar syrup and granular sugar only) was used as negative control. Post feeding, 9.88%, 10%, 12.2%, 12%, and 12.23% of house flies were found dead after 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days follow up respectively. Amphotericin B significantly reduced the density of house flies. We recommend that the effectiveness of Amphotericin B on wild strains of house flies and other nuisance insects such as cockroaches be investigated in future.

INTRODUCTION The insecticide imidacloprid belongs to the chloronicotinyl class of compounds and is most active against insects when ingested (Leicht, 1993; Londershausen, 1996). Its use in fly control is seen as an important area of application. An imidacloprid-based fly bait that could be selectively applied in the areas where flies are active was therefore developed under the brand name Quick Bayt® or PreEmptTM in the United States. It consists of a red extruded-granule formulation based on sugar with 0.5% active ingredient. The attractiveness of the bait is increased by the lures muscalure (0.1%) and LEJ 179 (0.25%). Bitrex (0.01%) is included to avoid accidental ingestion by humans. Imidacloprid fly bait can be used as scatter bait, in bait stations, or as paint-on. However, the special sugar-based bait formulation especially attracts the larger house fly Musca domestica (Linnaeus), (Diptera, Muscidae) and other fly species that are attracted by sugar granules.

House ßies, Musca domestica L., and stable ßies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), (Diptera: Muscidae), common pests on equine facilities, were studied in the laboratory to determine the success and duration of larval development and oviposition preferences on six substrates commonly found on equine facilities. Substrates tested were hay soiled with urine and manure, fresh horse manure, pine shaving bedding soiled with urine and manure (Ͻ12 h old), pine shaving bedding soiled with urine and manure (aged Ͼ72 h in a manure pile), builders sand bedding soiled with urine and manure aged 3 d, and soil from an overgrazed pasture mixed with urine and manure of variable age. House ßy larvae failed to develop into adults in hay, soil, and sand substrates. Stable ßies preferred to oviposit on substrates with plant material and not on fresh manure. However, when eggs were added to the substrates, pupariation was maximal in fresh manure and the fresh pine shaving substrate. Stable ßies developed in all six equine substrates, but development was less successful on the substrates with soil. In choice tests, fresh manure and the fresh pine shaving substrates were the most attractive for house ßy oviposition. These substrates also yielded the greatest number of house ßy puparia from artiÞcially added eggs. An understanding of oviposition preferences and differential larval development of house ßies and stable ßies on these substrates may help develop options for reducing pest populations by effectively managing equine waste and selecting appropriate bedding materials.

Laboratory and field trials were performed to evaluate the attractiveness and efficacy of commercial baits (cyantraniliprole; methomyl + (Z)-9-tricosene; dinotefuran + (Z)-9-tricosene; imidacloprid granular + (Z)-9-tricosene; and imidacloprid liquid + (Z)-9-tricosene). In choice tests; flies were most attracted to cyantraniliprole bait > dinotefuran + (Z)-9 > methomyl + (Z)-9 bait > imidacloprid granular + (Z)-9 bait > imidacloprid liquid + (Z)-9 bait. Significant degradation in bait efficacy was observed after two weeks of aging excluding imidacloprid granular; which began to degrade in field conditions after one week. Cyantraniliprole; the new fly bait active ingredient in Zyrox ® ; had the longest time to knockdown in the laboratory tests; but on susceptible flies; achieved 95%-100% knockdown within an hour of exposure. Zyrox ® was resistant to weathering for a week; and was more attractive to flies in the field when compared to methomyl + (Z)-9 bait.

Two performance (efficacy and attractiveness) comparisons of neonicotinoid baits QuickBayt ® (imidacloprid) and Agita ® (thiamethoxam) against filth flies were conducted under field conditions to determine suitability for use outdoors. The first experiment compared bait performance and the second compared effects of different applications on QuickBayt ® performance. Applications compared were: (i) scattered in petri dish (SPD); (ii) wet-down in petri dish (WPD); (iii) scattered on cardboard (SCB) and (iv) painted on cardboards (PCB). Efficacy and attractiveness were assessed based on knockdown percentage (KD%) and number of flies feeding on baits, respectively. The KD% of QuickBayt ® (34% ± 3.0%) was not significantly higher than Agita ® (29% ± 1.3%) (t-test, P>0.05). Agita ® (101 ± 5.7 flies) was significantly more attractive to flies than QuickBayt ® (76 ± 4.8 flies) and the sugar solution (49 ± 7.2) (one-way ANOVA, P<0.05). The PCB and SCB applications were significantly more attractive to filth flies than WPD and SPD (One-way ANOVA, P<0.05), however differences in KD% were not significantly different (One-way ANOVA, P>0.05). The two baits provided the same level of efficacy in a wide-open area against filth flies of various species. QuickBayt ® was more versatile; efficacy was not significantly affected by different applications. Surface area and moisture affects attractiveness of the bait.

The efficacy and residual efficacy of commercial baits, Quick Bayt ® (0.5% w/w imidacloprid) and Agita ® (10.0% w/w thiamethoxam) against synanthropic flies were evaluated under field conditions. Efficacy was evaluated based on knockdown percentage (KD %). The bait efficacy and residual efficacy evaluation were conducted for a period of 3 weeks and 6 weeks respectively. Baits were applied onto bait targets and placed on fly-count targets to facilitate the counting of flies. All baits were applied according to the manufacturer's recommended application rate. Three replicate treatments for each type of bait were placed at the study site each week. The number of flies feeding on baits and the knocked down flies were counted and collected. The efficacy of Agita ® and Quick Bayt ® did not differ significantly (t-test, P>0.05) over the 3-week period, even though Quick Bayt ® had a slightly higher KD% than Agita ®. In the residual efficacy evaluation, the (knockdown) KD% of Quick Bayt ® was consistent at around 36% for the first five weeks but dropped to 33.8 ± 0.4% on the sixth week. The KD% for Agita ® on the first week was 33.6 ± 12.2% and remained relatively consistent for the first 4 weeks at around 31%. KD% dropped to 16.7 ± 3.3% on week 5 and to 15.7 ± 1.2% on week 6. The difference in residual efficacy of the two baits was significant (t-test, p<0.05).

House ßies, Musca domestica L., and stable ßies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), (Diptera: Muscidae), common pests on equine facilities, were studied in the laboratory to determine the success and duration of larval development and oviposition preferences on six substrates commonly found on equine facilities. Substrates tested were hay soiled with urine and manure, fresh horse manure, pine shaving bedding soiled with urine and manure (Ͻ12 h old), pine shaving bedding soiled with urine and manure (aged Ͼ72 h in a manure pile), builders sand bedding soiled with urine and manure aged 3 d, and soil from an overgrazed pasture mixed with urine and manure of variable age. House ßy larvae failed to develop into adults in hay, soil, and sand substrates. Stable ßies preferred to oviposit on substrates with plant material and not on fresh manure. However, when eggs were added to the substrates, pupariation was maximal in fresh manure and the fresh pine shaving substrate. Stable ßies developed in all six equine substrates, but development was less successful on the substrates with soil. In choice tests, fresh manure and the fresh pine shaving substrates were the most attractive for house ßy oviposition. These substrates also yielded the greatest number of house ßy puparia from artiÞcially added eggs. An understanding of oviposition preferences and differential larval development of house ßies and stable ßies on these substrates may help develop options for reducing pest populations by effectively managing equine waste and selecting appropriate bedding materials.

The house fly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), is a major pest of all aspects of life, like the domestic, medical and veterinary and causal agent of several pathogenic diseases. The present study was conducted to evaluate the potential of different insecticide-free baits against house fly by incorporating flower methanol extract of Helianthus annuus (sunflower) and Tegetes erecta (marigold) at 10%, 20% and 30% bait formulation of corn syrup, dried milk and water. However, imidacloprid and thiacloprid (each at 5% concentration) were also included in the study for comparison. Results showed that insecticide baits were superior in causing mortality of adult house fly but dependent upon syrup. Overall, 20% baits of both extracts caused more than half population death of house fly within 48h. On the other hand, the mortality rate by 30% baits (from sunflower and marigold) had a similar impact as observed in case of imidacloprid and thiacloprid baits. Therefore, biological baits could play a more active and safer role in the management of house fly as compared to synthetic insecticides.

Insecticide resistance in pest populations is an increasing problem in both urban and rural settings caused by over-application of insecticides and lack of rotation among chemical classes. The house fly (Musca domestica L.) is a cosmopolitan fly species implicated in the transmission of numerous pathogens, and which can be extremely pestiferous when present in high numbers. The evolution of insecticide resistance has long been documented in house flies, with resistance reported to all major insecticide classes. House fly resistance to imidacloprid, the most widely used neonicotinoid insecticide available for fly control, has been selected for in field populations through both physiological and behavioral resistance mechanisms. In the current study, house flies collected from a southern California dairy were selectively bred for behavioral resistance to imidacloprid, without increasing the physiological resistance profile of the selected flies. Flies were also successfully selected for behavioral susceptibility to imidacloprid. The rapid selection for either behavioral resistance or behavioral susceptibility suggests that inheritable alleles conferring behavioral resistance were already present in the wild-type fly population collected from the dairy site. The methods used for the specific selection of behavioral resistance (or susceptibility) in the fly population will be useful for further studies on the specific mechanisms conferring this resistance. House fly behavioral resistance was further investigated using behavioral observation and feeding preference assays, with resistance determined to be both contact-dependent and specific to the insecticide (imidacloprid) rather than to a non-insecticidal component of a bait matrix as previously documented.

In the housefly, neonicotinoid resistance also involves cytochrome P450, as indicated by bioassay with synergist as well as altered expression. In bioassay, synergism was only partial and indicated possible target-site resistance. The nAChR α2 subunit is important in neonicotinoid toxicity to insects, and gene expression of the Mdα2 subunit was investigated in field populations and laboratory strains of neonicotinoid-resistant and insecticide-susceptible houseflies, Musca domestica L. The genomic sequence covering exon III-VII of Mdα2 was analysed for mutations.

The housefly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), is a pest of great veterinary and public health importance. In this study, the efficacy of metaflumizone granular fly bait was assessed on first generation (F1) housefly adults raised from flies collected at a cattle feedlot in Kansas. All bioassays were conducted as choice tests, with flies having ad libitum access to water, granular sugar and bait. A commercial methomyl-based bait (Golden Malrin TM ) was used as positive control; no bait (water and granular sugar only) was used as negative control. Fly mortality was recorded on days 2, 7 and 14. The metaflumizone bait was significantly more slow-acting than the methomyl bait (mortality rates after 2 days of exposure were 49.9% and 57.9%, respectively). However, there were no significant differences in cumulative mortality later in the bioassays. Cumulative mortality rates on days 7 and 14 were 96.1% (metaflumizone), 91.4% (methomyl) and 99.0% (metaflumizone), 97.6% (methomyl), respectively. Our results demonstrate that the metaflumizone granular fly bait may be an effective modality for incorporation into management programmes for houseflies in and around livestock production facilities as well as in residential settings.

The efficacy and residual efficacy of commercial baits, Quick Bayt (0.5% w/w imidacloprid) and Agita (10.0% w/w thiamethoxam) against synanthropic flies were evaluated under field conditions. Efficacy was evaluated based on knockdown percentage (KD %). The bait efficacy and residual efficacy evaluation were conducted for a period of 3 weeks and 6 weeks respectively. Baits were applied onto bait targets and placed on fly-count targets to facilitate the counting of flies. All baits were applied according to the manufacturer&#39;s recommended application rate. Three replicate treatments for each type of bait were placed at the study site each week. The number of flies feeding on baits and the knocked down flies were counted and collected. The efficacy of Agita and Quick Bayt did not differ significantly (t-test, P&gt;0.05) over the 3-week period, even though Quick Bayt had a slightly higher KD% than Agita. In the residual efficacy evaluation, the (knockdown) KD% of Quick Bayt was consi...

Two performance (efficacy and attractiveness) comparisons of neonicotinoid baits QuickBayt ® (imidacloprid) and Agita ® (thiamethoxam) against filth flies were conducted under field conditions to determine suitability for use outdoors. The first experiment compared bait performance and the second compared effects of different applications on QuickBayt ® performance. Applications compared were: (i) scattered in petri dish (SPD); (ii) wet-down in petri dish (WPD); (iii) scattered on cardboard (SCB) and (iv) painted on cardboards (PCB). Efficacy and attractiveness were assessed based on knockdown percentage (KD%) and number of flies feeding on baits, respectively. The KD% of QuickBayt ® (34% ± 3.0%) was not significantly higher than Agita ® (29% ± 1.3%) (t-test, P>0.05). Agita ® (101 ± 5.7 flies) was significantly more attractive to flies than QuickBayt ® (76 ± 4.8 flies) and the sugar solution (49 ± 7.2) (one-way ANOVA, P<0.05). The PCB and SCB applications were significantly more attractive to filth flies than WPD and SPD (One-way ANOVA, P<0.05), however differences in KD% were not significantly different (One-way ANOVA, P>0.05). The two baits provided the same level of efficacy in a wide-open area against filth flies of various species. QuickBayt ® was more versatile; efficacy was not significantly affected by different applications. Surface area and moisture affects attractiveness of the bait.

Three species composition surveys were conducted in a rural location in Kedah and an urban location in Pulau Pinang. Two of the surveys were conducted in November 2003, the first was at the Kedah site and the second was at the Pulau Pinang site. The third survey was conducted at the Pulau Pinang site again on the last week of April 2004. All these surveys were conducted one week prior to field evaluations of commercial chemical fly baits. The predominant species recovered from the surveys was the house fly, Musca domestica, which ranked first in prevalence in all three studies. Catches of Musca sorbens, Chrysoma megacephala and Lucillia cuprina were lower than M. domestica. Sarcophaga sp. was not present at the Kedah site and was only present at the Pulau Pinang site during the survey in April 2004. The other fly species present at the Kedah site were Megaselia sp., Psycoda sp., Piophila sp. and Fannia sp. These species were scarce and never exceeded 1% of the total catch.

The efficacy and residual efficacy of commercial baits, Quick Bayt ® (0.5% w/w imidacloprid) and Agita ® (10.0% w/w thiamethoxam) against synanthropic flies were evaluated under field conditions. Efficacy was evaluated based on knockdown percentage (KD %). The bait efficacy and residual efficacy evaluation were conducted for a period of 3 weeks and 6 weeks respectively. Baits were applied onto bait targets and placed on fly-count targets to facilitate the counting of flies. All baits were applied according to the manufacturer's recommended application rate. Three replicate treatments for each type of bait were placed at the study site each week. The number of flies feeding on baits and the knocked down flies were counted and collected. The efficacy of Agita ® and Quick Bayt ® did not differ significantly (t-test, P>0.05) over the 3-week period, even though Quick Bayt ® had a slightly higher KD% than Agita ® . In the residual efficacy evaluation, the (knockdown) KD% of Quick Bayt ® was consistent at around 36% for the first five weeks but dropped to 33.8 ± 0.4% on the sixth week. The KD% for Agita ® on the first week was 33.6 ± 12.2% and remained relatively consistent for the first 4 weeks at around 31%. KD% dropped to 16.7 ± 3.3% on week 5 and to 15.7 ± 1.2% on week 6. The difference in residual efficacy of the two baits was significant (t-test, p<0.05). 126 -133 Nurita AT.pmd 8/15/2008, 11:32 AM 126