Current Status of Stable Flies in the US

Authors: Taylor, David

Submitted to: Workshop Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/25/2019
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Overall, the stable fly situation in the US is much less severe than that observed in Brazil, Costa Rica, and Australia. Outbreaks of greater than 50-100 stable flies per host are rare, and usually short lived. In the US, the predominant dogma is that immature stable flies develop in vegetative materials contaminated with animal waste. Evidence of stable flies developing in agronomic residues is very limited. Hence, most observers considered stable flies to be a self-perpetuated problem. The livestock industry is responsible for the developmental substrates and also the recipients of most of the economic impacts. Given the expenses of managing livestock wastes to eliminate stable fly development, and the marginal efficacy of such efforts when practiced on an individual premise basis, most producers are willing to accept the economic losses associated with this fly. This situation is exasperated by a paucity of knowledge relative to stable flies and other flies associated with livestock production. Few producers can differentiate stable flies from horn flies, face flies or house flies. Therefore, these four species, and any other flies that may be apparent, are lumped together into the single category of “flies.” Not surprisingly, the types of damages and levels of responses of the livestock cannot be consistently evaluated or properly attributed because they are dependent upon the respective behaviors and biology of the flies involved. Improved education of producers about fly biology, impacts on livestock, and management is a high priority. A second priority is improved characterization of the developmental substrates used by stable flies and development of methods to associate adult flies with their developmental sites. It is possible that the perception of stable flies primarily developing in materials contaminated with livestock wastes is incorrect. Cultural management methods targeting immature developmental habitats will not be successful if a significant part of the population is developing in unrecognized locations.