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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lincoln, Nebraska » Agroecosystem Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #187958

Title: DISPERSAL OF STABLE FLIES FROM LARVAL DEVELOPMENTAL SITES

Author
item Taylor, David
item MOON, ROGER - UNIV OF MINNESOTA
item BROCE, ALBERTO - KANSAS STATE UNIV
item CAMPBELL, JOHN - UNIV OF NEBRASKA
item SCHOLL, PHILIP - USDA ARS RETIRED
item Hogsette, Jerome - Jerry

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/15/2005
Publication Date: 12/18/2005
Citation: Taylor, D.B., Moon, R., Broce, A., Campbell, J.B., Scholl, P.J., Hogsette Jr, J.A. 2005. Dispersal of stable flies from larval developmental sites. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, December 14-19, 2005, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 2005 Streaming Video.

Interpretive Summary: A large scale stable fly mark recapture study was conducted at the Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ithaca, Nebraska. Three developmental sites were marked with fluorescent powder. Flies picked up the powder as they emerged from these sites and were marked. A grid of 87 Broce sticky traps covering approximately 20 square miles was monitored for 12 days to evaluate the dispersal of the flies. Traps were 0-7 km from the marking sites. A total of 56,821 stable flies were collected of which 3,033 were marked. The furthest a fly was collected from the marking site was 6.7 km and the mean was 0.7 km. Mean distance of capture from the marking site differed significantly among the three sites. The “Cow/Calf” marking site was adjacent to a feedlot and had a mean dispersal distance of 0.13 km and the lowest number of marked flies captured. The “Bull Pen” and “Tower” sites were in pastures and had mean dispersal distances of 0.56 and 1.01 km respectively. Dispersal distances for males and females were similar as were the percentages of males and females with blood in their guts. Males with blood were captured further from the marking site than those without blood, 1 vs 1.4 km. Females with and without blood did not differ in the mean distance to recapture (0.9 & 1.0 km), but vitellogenic females were recaptured further from the marking sites than non vitellogenic (1.0 vs 1.8 km). Stable flies emerging in the proximity of cattle appeared to disperse very little where as those more remote from hosts were more mobile. Males and females appeared to have similar dispersal and blood feeding patterns.

Technical Abstract: A large scale stable fly mark recapture study was conducted at the Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ithaca, Nebraska. Three developmental sites were marked with fluorescent powder. Flies picked up the powder as they emerged from these sites and were marked. A grid of 87 Broce sticky traps covering approximately 20 square miles was monitored for 12 days to evaluate the dispersal of the flies. Traps were 0-7 km from the marking sites. A total of 56,821 stable flies were collected of which 3,033 were marked. The furthest a fly was collected from the marking site was 6.7 km and the mean was 0.7 km. Mean distance of capture from the marking site differed significantly among the three sites. The “Cow/Calf” marking site was adjacent to a feedlot and had a mean dispersal distance of 0.13 km and the lowest number of marked flies captured. The “Bull Pen” and “Tower” sites were in pastures and had mean dispersal distances of 0.56 and 1.01 km respectively. Dispersal distances for males and females were similar as were the percentages of males and females with blood in their guts. Males with blood were captured further from the marking site than those without blood, 1 vs 1.4 km. Females with and without blood did not differ in the mean distance to recapture (0.9 & 1.0 km), but vitellogenic females were recaptured further from the marking sites than non vitellogenic (1.0 vs 1.8 km). Stable flies emerging in the proximity of cattle appeared to disperse very little where as those more remote from hosts were more mobile. Males and females appeared to have similar dispersal and blood feeding patterns.