2014 House Fly Densities around Dairies in Central Texas

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1 2014 House Fly Densities around Dairies in Central Texas Justin Gilliam and Sonja Swiger May 2014 October 2014 House flies pose a serious pest for barn/stable operators and dairy operators throughout the United States. When the population rises well above a manageable rate they begin to travel to nearby houses and businesses. House flies do not bite but are extremely annoying and are not appreciated by the general public. Although most livestock can tolerate several hundred house flies at one time, people become discouraged at the site of one house fly. In addition to their nuisance status, house flies have the ability to mechanically transmit over 200 known pathogens that cause disease to humans and animals. Therefore it is important for barn/stable operators and dairy operators to keep their house fly numbers suppressed. Objective Record house fly numbers during the 2014 fly season in Districts 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 10 in Texas with scatter bait stations containing three different types of baits (QuickBayt, QuikStrike, and Golden Malrin). Compare the products and number of dead house flies in order to determine which trapping method is the most effective at attracting and killing house flies. Methods The trial was set up from May 12 until October 27, One location (dairy) was chosen and traps were set up. Collections were made on a weekly basis from the location. Bait stations were hung at least 4 ft. above the ground out of animal reach at different sites in each facility (barn). Each site compared the three different bait products (3 bait stations/sites). Bait stations were constructed from gallon jugs (i.e. milk jugs) and filled with either 1 oz. of QuickBayt, 1 oz. of QuikStrike or 1 oz. of Golden Malrin. New baits and bait stations were replaced at the location at each visit.

2 The collected traps and dead house flies were then removed from the dairies and fly numbers were recorded. In addition to the traps, spot cards were placed by each trap to evaluate the number of house flies resting in the vicinity. Data & Results Location Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Date 5-May 12-May 19-May 26-May 2-Jun 9-Jun 16-Jun 23-Jun 30-Jun 7-Jul 14-Jul 21-Jul 28-Jul Golden Malrin Spot Card Quick Bayt Spot Card QuikStrike Spot Card Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Week 17 Week 18 Week 19 Week 20 Week 21 Week 22 Week 23 Week 24 Week 25 Week 26 4-Aug 11-Aug 18-Aug 25-Aug 1-Sep 8-Sep 15-Sep 22-Sep 29-Sep 6-Oct 13-Oct 20-Oct 27-Oct Golden Malrin Rain Out Rain Out Rain Out Spot Card Rain Out Rain Out Rain Out Quick Bayt Rain Out Rain Out Rain Out Spot Card Rain Out Rain Out Rain Out QuikStrike Rain Out Rain Out Rain Out Spot Card Rain Out Rain Out Rain Out Total number of collected house flies per bait / week in Archer Co. Number of house flies Weeks Golden Malrin Quick Bayt QuikStrike

3 Total number of house flies collected per bait Number of house flies Golden Malrin Quick Bayt QuikStrike Total Number of Collected House Flies per Week Number of House Flies Weeks

4 Dead house flies collected on a dairy in Archer Co & QuickBayt QuikStrike Golden Malrin Quick Bayt QuikStrike Golden Malrin Total Number of Dead House Flies per Fly Baits ,329 14,715 13,584 22,562 Golden Malrin QuikStrike Quick Bayt Pheromone Traps

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6 Total Number of Dead House Flies per Fly Baits ,329 14,715 13,584 22,562 Golden Malrin QuikStrike Quick Bayt Pheromone Traps

7 Conclusion A total of 8,324 dead house flies were collected from the dairy in Archer County, this is more than double the number collected in 2013 (3,726). QuickBayt collected the most house flies with 3,904, Golden Malrin collected 2,734 house flies and 1,686 were collected in the QuikStrike traps. When compared to the 2013 data, more were caught in the QuickBayt and Golden Malrin bait stations this year. The QuikStrike bait collected slightly more house flies this year but a similar amount as last year. A final comparative analysis that needs further assessment is looking into the number of house flies collected per bait divided by the number of barns testing the baits. Statistical analysis conducted on 2013 livestock barn data shows no front runner when it comes to the scatter baits but the pheromone traps, for the most part, are significantly more effective at controlling house flies in and around barns. Analysis needs to be conducted on the dairy collected data which is conducted differently due to the large number of house fly populations. Preliminary assessment it appears that the QuickBayt scatter bait is the most effective but there are still many variables and unanswered questions. Although all the baits are effective in attracting house flies, their effectiveness for killing house flies is still under investigation. Laboratory work needs to be done to test the efficacy of the baits themselves when house flies are permitted to leave a specific location. There is thought that the active ingredient only knocks-down the house flies temporarily or that the active ingredient does not begin to work right away, allowing the house flies to leave the bait stations prior to dying.