Semiochemical-based management of biting fly management in the US

Authors: Zhu, Junwei - Jerry

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/25/2017
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Stable flies (Stomoxys calcitran) and horn flies (Haematobia irritans) are two major blood-feeding pests of bovids and equids in confined and pasture settings. It has reported that just stable flies alone can cause over $2 billion annually in losses to the U.S. cattle industry. These flies can be serious pests of humans and companion animals as well when their primary hosts are absent. The horn fly is also a vector of several pathogens, such as several Staphylococcus spp. bacteria, which cause mastitis, or infection of the teats in dairy cows. Biting fly control in confined and pastured livestock settings has focused primarily on sanitation and insecticides. However, sanitation procedures are costly, and insecticides provide only marginal control. Recently, several field populations of the both fly species were identified resistant to permethrin, the most commonly used insecticide for stable fly management. Flies use chemical cues for their host and host environment location. The use of Push-Pull strategy involving the development of effective mass trapping systems enhanced by strong attractant compounds, as well as long lasting repellents to drive them away from host animals could be the future of biting fly control. The use of repellents is considered as one of the most effective tools for protecting humans from biting insects, particularly mosquitoes. Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of botanical-based repellents as alternatives against dipteran blood-sucking flies. In this presentation, I will report several case studies describing how these flies use various classes of chemical cues either associated with their hosts or host plants for locating food sources and oviposition sites. In addition, I will report a recent discovery about a long-lasting repellent from a natural product that can be effective up to 2-week period, which can be useful for developing novel pest fly management tools.