scholarly journals Flower Mimics Roll Out Multicolored Carpets to Lure and Kill the House Fly

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1097
Author(s):  
Hamady Dieng ◽  
Tomomitsu Satho ◽  
Nor Hafisa Syafina Binti Mohd Radzi ◽  
Fatimah Abang ◽  
Nur Faeza A. Kassim ◽  
...  

Flowers and their spatial clustering are important parameters that mediate the foraging behavior and visitation rate of pollinating insects. Visual stimuli are crucial for triggering behavioral changes in the house fly, Musca domestica, which regularly visits plants for feeding and reproduction. The success of bait technology, which is the principal means of combatting flies, is adversely affected by reduced attractiveness and ineffective application techniques. Despite evidence that house flies have color vision capacity, respond to flowers, and exhibit color and pattern preference, the potential of artificial flowers as attractive factors has not been explored. The present study was performed to investigate whether artificial floral designs can lure and kill house flies. Starved wild house flies were presented with equal opportunities to acquire sugar meals, to which boric acid had been added as a toxin, from one flower arrangement (blue-dominated design, BDD; yellow-dominated design, YDD; or pink-dominated design, PDD), and a non-toxic white design (WDD). We also allowed house flies to forage within an enclosure containing two non-toxic floral designs (WDDs). The differences in mortality between the two environments with and without toxicant were examined. The survival rate of Musca domestica was extremely high when WDDs containing non-toxic sugar sources were the only feeding sites available. When given an option to forage in an environment containing a BDD and a WDD, house flies showed a high mortality rate (76%) compared to their counterparts maintained in the WDD environment (2%). When kept in an enclosure containing one YDD and a WDD, flies showed a mortality rate of 88%; however, no mortality occurred among flies confined to a compound with a WDD pair. When provided an even chance of foraging in an enclosure containing a mixed pair of floral arrangements (PDD and WDD) and another with two WDDs, flies showed a higher mortality rate (78%) in the first environment. However, the maximum survival rate (100%) was seen in the WDD environment. Exposure to YDD tended to result in a greater mortality rate than with the two other floral designs. Mortality gradually increased with time among flies exposed to tested artificial floral designs. The results presented here clearly indicated that artificial flower arrangements with a toxic sugar reward were strikingly attractive for house flies when their preferred color (white) was present. These observations offer novel possibilities for future development of flower mimic-based house fly control.

1956 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
pp. 270-272
Author(s):  
William Hanec

House fly control as practiced at present requires a combination of thorough sanitation supplemented with the use of insecticides. Farms vary considerably in the standard of sanitation maintained. The question arises whether a farmer who conscientiously applies house fly control measures on his premises will find his efforts frustrated by invasions of house flies breeding on less sanitary farm-steads in the neighborhood. To answer this question it is necessary to understand the factors that affect house fly dispersal. These include wind direction, intensity of mind-borne odors and possibly variation in the tendency of flies to migrate. Some of these questions were answered in investigations during the summer of 3951, by releasing and recovering radioactive house flies in a dairy community near Fort Whyte, Manitoba.


2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 103-112
Author(s):  
Mihaela Kavran ◽  
Dušan Petrić ◽  
Aleksandra Ignjatović-Ćupina ◽  
Marija Zgomba

Summary The housefly Musca domestica is a cosmopolitan insect nuisance pest, also known as a carrier of numerous pathogens both to humans and animals. Animal farms, as a very important source of house flies, simultaneously allow for all stages of their development. Having vast quantities of constantly present manure, pig units represent perfect environment for house fly breeding. This fact, coupled with the known resistance to majority of available insecticides, creates difficulties in house fly control. The present study was performed to evaluate different types of monitoring methods for indoor use: (a) spot deposit records on the cardboard; (b) fly trappings by: glue coated cardboard; (c) sticky fly strips; (d) yellow sticky cards; (e) visual records of flies on the cardboard. This study provided a clear differentiation of efficacy/usefulness of the tested methods for various house fly densities. In animal breeding units or other areas with very abundant fly population, less sensitive methods (traps are less efficient) should be selected. For these circumstances, glued cardboard or yellow sticky cards should be chosen. The “more sensitive” methods, spot cards and sticky fly strips, should be used for lower abundance of the fly population. Except for this purpose, these highly sensitive methods should be selected also in the areas where the flies should not be tolerated at any density. Although the levels of the observed fly activity significantly differ from each other, in the majority of cases they depict the similar trend of the population dynamics and relative density. The only exception to the rule was the visual method, which could not reflect the changes in the population density in the current study.


1973 ◽  
Vol 105 (5) ◽  
pp. 709-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. G. Wylie

AbstractFemales of Nasonia vitripennis (Walk.) lay a smaller percentage of fertilized (i.e. female) eggs on house fly, Musca domestica L., pupae previously parasitized by their own species, by Muscidifurax zaraptor K. & L., or by Spalangia cameroni Perk. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) than on unparasitized hosts. They respond to changes in the fly pupae associated with death, and in the case of house flies attacked by N. vitripennis, to "venoms" injected at that time or to changes unrelated to death. By not fertilizing eggs that they lay on attacked hosts, the females also conserve sperm, for immature N. vitripennis on previously-attacked fly pupae are usually killed by parasite larvae already present.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0249496
Author(s):  
Saad M. Alzahrani

This study was conducted to determine the susceptibility and resistance of some house fly strains of Musca domestica L. to the insect growth regulator insecticides triflumuron and pyriproxyfen in some locations in Riyadh city. Field-collected strains of M. domestica L. from five sites in Riyadh city that represented five slaughterhouse sites where flies spread significantly were tested against triflumuron and pyriproxyfen. Triflumuron LC50 values for the five collected strains ranged from 2.6 to 5.5 ppm, and the resistance factors (RFs) ranged from 13-fold to 27-fold that of the susceptible laboratory strain. Pyriproxyfen LC50 values for the field strains ranged from 0.9 to 1.8 ppm with RFs of 3-fold to 5-fold. These results indicate that pyriproxyfen is an effective insecticide to control house flies and should be used in rotation with other insecticides in the control programs applied by Riyadh municipality.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Suriyani Tan ◽  
Machrumnizar Machrumnizar

Muscadomestica (house fly) is an insect that is considered useless by humans although they lived very close to humans. Breeding site of flies in human or animal waste, the rubbish, or unorganic objects that have decayed greatly support their role as mechanical vectors. More than 20 species of flies have been reported as an agent of gastrointestinal diseases. The purpose of this study is to examnine the role of houseflies as mechanical vectors Ascarislumbricoides’seggs.The research sample was 500 house flies (Muscadomestica) captured in the Legok area. Houseflies were trapped by fly trap containing rotten fish meat and then stored at a temperature of 4 degree celcius. The samples were divided into six groups according to the sampling areas, crushed and checked directly by using a light microscope. Ascarislumbricoides eggs are not found in all groups of samples. The study concluded that Muscadomestica is not a mechanical vector of infective eggs of Ascarislumbricoides in Tangerang City, Banten Province.


Author(s):  
Elizabeth V Tuorinsky ◽  
Erika T Machtinger

Abstract House flies can have negative consequences on the welfare of horses and other equids. Fly repellents in the form of on-animal sprays, wipes, or spot-ons are the most commonly used fly control method for horses. Many products are available, but repellent efficacy and duration of effectiveness may influence repellent choice by horse owners. A better understanding of the efficacy of common fly repellent products will help guide repellent selection to reduce fly pressure on horses. To evaluate commercially available repellents, house fly behavioral inhibition after application of three products marketed as natural (Ecovet, Equiderma, and Outsmart) and four with synthetic pyrethroids as active ingredients (Bronco, Endure, UltraShield, and Optiforce) was compared at 100, 50, and 25% concentration and at 15, 30, 60, 240, 1,440, and 2,880 min. Time and product were significant at all tested concentrations. The natural products performed as well as or better than the synthetic products at all dilutions and times. Ecovet in particular retained over 75% inhibition of flies for >1 d at the 100 and 50% concentrations. Differences were seen among products with pyrethroids, suggesting that formulation differences significantly affect efficacy. Cost and application suggestions are discussed, and these results will aid horse owners in selecting fly repellents to meet their individual needs.


1985 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Denholm ◽  
R. M. Sawicki ◽  
A. W. Farnham

AbstractWays in which the bionomics and dynamics of populations of Musca domestica L. can influence the development of insecticide resistance, and how resistance genes spread within and between farms was investigated in a three-year study of the biology and movement of flies on 63 pig-rearing farms in south-eastern England. House-flies survived winter only on 12 ‘overwintering’ farms where they bred in heated pig-rearing houses (‘closed buildings’) throughout the year. In late spring they appeared out doors, and their descendents founded populations on neighbouring ‘summer’ farms where pigs breed only in unheated (‘open’) buildings. There, flies reached peak numbers in August–September and died out by mid-November. Gene flow within and between farms was studied indirectly by mark-release-recapture of colour-marked adults, and directly by monitoring the diffusion of the visible marker gene bwb (brown body) introduced into indigenous house-fly populations. Although movement between open buildings within a farm was unrestricted, dispersal between farms was limited, and gene flow between even adjacent closed buildings was indirect, and required more than one generation. Likewise, indirect and gradual gene flow during summer probably accounted for the similarity in type and frequency of other independent genetic markers of local overwintering populations. Thus closed buildings played a key role in house-fly ecology and population genetics. Unfortunately, control with persistent insecticides in these buildings ensures efficient resistance selection, ultimately resulting in its spread to all pig farms. Less selective control practices are needed at these sites.


Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalton Baker ◽  
Steven Rice ◽  
Diana Leemon ◽  
Rosamond Godwin ◽  
Peter James

The control of house flies, Musca domestica (L.), currently relies on the use of chemical insecticide spray and bait formulations. Entomopathogenic fungi, such as Metarhizium anisopliae, may provide an alternative to these products. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a mycoinsecticide bait formulation containing a virulent M. anisopliae isolate. Five M. anisopliae isolates were screened against M. domestica and isolate M16 was selected for bait development. Bait formulations containing a variety of additives, including (Z)-9-tricosene, were tested for their ability to increase fly visitation. A bait formulation containing M. anisopliae and skim milk powder was found to have the highest house fly visitation and was subsequently compared to a conventional chemical bait in an efficacy assay. The chemical bait (0.5% imidacloprid) caused faster mortality than the mycoinsecticide bait, however, similar levels of mortality were achieved by 4–5 days’ post exposure. These results suggest that M. anisopliae mycoinsecticide baits may offer an alternative to conventional chemical insecticides for the control of house flies in suitable areas.


1948 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonti Dakshinamurty

The study of the common house-fly,Musca domestica, L., has not received the attention it merits by medical entomologists. Although the correlation betweenfly-borne diseasesandclimatic factorshas interested several workers, this correlation has not been satisfactorily explained. An investigation of the influence ofclimatic factorson house-flies was therefore undertaken.House-flies can be reared in the laboratory by a proper choice of the breeding medium and suitable technique. Manures, kitchen refuse and synthetic media may be used but the last mentioned is recommended for the production of a supply of standard insects.M. domesticachooses the lower humidity on each of the humidity gradients, 20–40, 40–60, 60–80 and 80–100 per cent., at a constant temperature of 25°C. The choice is significant for both sexes, and for dry and wet flies, except for dry flies at the range 60–80 per cent.The house-fly chooses 30°C. in temperature gradients of 20–30°C. and 30–40°C. at constant humidity, expressed either in the R.H. or the S.D. scale. It chooses 30°C. with dry air if possible, but with moist air if it must. In a gradient of 33–27°C. where dry air is associated with 33°C. in the S.D. scale in the one case, and 27°C. in the R.H. in the other, it chooses 33°C. or 27°C. according as it coincides with dry air. Dry air as represented by low R.H. or high S.D. did not make any difference to its choice, consequently it is not possible to decide whether house-flies choose by the R.H. scale or the S.D. scale. The activity ofM. domesticato different combinations of temperature and humidity shows maximum activity with high temperature and low humidity, minimum with high temperature and high humidity; while in the case of low temperature combinations with either high or low humidity, activity lies intermediate in degree. High and low temperatures and high and low humidity within themselves also show significant results by the χ2test.The experimental results are explained on physiological grounds and the results obtained in these experiments are compared with those of other workers on similar problems on a variety of insects.The general experience with regard to house-flies in the field is explained in the light of these laboratory findings.For a correct analysis of the behaviour of the house-fly in nature, biological stimuli such as feeding, breeding and resting habits must be considered quantitatively in relation to environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, rainfall and light. The present work forms part of such a study.


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