ARS | Publication request: Evaluation of different insecticides and fabric types for development of treated targets for stable fly (Diptera: Muscidae) control.

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: October 20, 2007
Publication Date: June 1, 2008
Citation: Hogsette, J.A., Nalli, A., Foil, L.D. 2008. Evaluation of different insecticides and fabric types for development of treated targets for stable fly (Diptera: Muscidae) control. Journal of Economic Entomology. 101(3):1034-1038.

Interpretive Summary: Stable flies are one of the most serious pests of range cattle in the Midwestern states and elsewhere. Flies attack cattle and horses in large numbers and cause economic losses due to their blood feeding activities. Few devices are available to control stable flies under rangeland conditions. Pesticide sprays are impractical, and the area is too vast to rely on standard stable fly traps, which must be serviced periodically. However, insecticide-treated cloth targets, which attract biting flies and kill them, were developed for use against tsetse flies in Africa, where vast areas are also involved. Therefore, scientists at the USDA Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, FL, worked with scientists at the Louisiana State University, Department of Entomology, Baton Rouge, to develop attractive cloth targets for stable fly management. Efficacious pesticide residues were best maintained outdoors in trigger (polyester/cotton) fabric. Either '-cyhalothrin CS or zetacypermethrin EC, formulated at 0.1%, would be suitable for use with targets made from trigger fabric.

Technical Abstract: Cloth targets, visually attractive to blood-feeding flies and treated with insecticides to kill flies when they land, were adapted for use against stable flies in rangeland situations in the U.S. Five candidate fabrics were tested and trigger fabric (polyester/cotton) best maintained pesticide residues at efficacious levels for the 90-day field test. When five candidate insecticides were tested on trigger cloth, '-cyhalothrin CS and zetacypermethrin EC, formulated at 0.1%, both produced 100% mortality of stable flies after 90 days of exposure outside. '-cyhalothrin CS applied at 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0% to trigger cloth produced 100% mortality in similar time periods. Targets made of trigger fabric and treated with 0.1% '-cyhalothrin CS were selected for use.