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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #357650
Research Project: Management of Filth Flies

Location: Mosquito and Fly Research

Title: Can attractive sticky traps be used to protect horses from the bites of Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae)

Author
item TAM, TRACEY - University Of Florida
item Hogsette, Jerome - Jerry
item TENBROECK, SAUNDRA - University Of Florida

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/30/2019
Publication Date: 6/22/2019
Citation: Tam, T.L., Hogsette, Jr, J.A., Tenbroeck, S.H. 2019. Can attractive sticky traps be used to protect horses from the bites of Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae). Journal of Economic Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toz134.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toz134

Interpretive Summary: The stable fly is a blood sucking, fly that causes irritation and distress to livestock, wildlife, and humans. To investigate their relative attraction to stable flies, USDA scientists applied fluorescent dust to horses and placed House and Garden Mosquito (HGM) traps around the horses at selected distances to capture flies before (unmarked) or after (marked) they visited the horses. A total of 6,033 (88.2%) of the captured stable flies were unmarked, indicating that flies visited the traps before feeding on the horses. This apparent high level of fly preference for the traps could be misleading because of the study design. When the sound component of the HGM trap was evaluated, results indicated interference between traps placed close together. Testing with 112.8-m trap spacing showed a positive effect of sound in certain trap locations.

Technical Abstract: The stable fly is a blood sucking, fly that causes irritation and distress to livestock, wildlife, and humans. To investigate their relative attraction to stable flies, USDA scientists applied fluorescent dust to horses and placed House and Garden Mosquito (HGM) traps around the horses at selected distances to capture flies before (unmarked) or after (marked) they visited the horses. A total of 6,033 (88.2%) of the captured stable flies were unmarked, indicating that flies visited the traps before feeding on the horses. This apparent high level of fly preference for the traps could be misleading because of the study design. When the sound component of the HGM trap was evaluated, results indicated interference between traps placed close together. Testing with 112.8-m trap spacing showed a positive effect of sound in certain trap locations.