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Funded Project

Funding Program: Regional IPM Grants (S-RIPM)

Project Title: Development of an Integrated Control Program for Stable Files

Project Director (PD): Lane Foil [1]

Lead State: LA Lead Organization: Louisiana State University Agricultural Center

Research Funding: $76,135

Start Date: Sep-01-2003 End Date: Aug-31-2005

Summary: None provided Objectives: None provided

Final Report:

Results From Report submitted by the PI to USDA CRIS report system PROGRESS: 2003/09 TO 2006/08 For our objective to develop treated targets for adult stable fly control, we conducted studies to determine the influence of weather, time, fabric type, insecticide type, and insecticide concentration on the mortality of stable flies from a susceptible laboratory colony exposed for 30 sec to treated targets. We found that 100% of the flies exposed to trigger targets that were treated with 0.1% lambdacyhalothrin or 0.1% zetacypermethrin and placed outdoors for up to three months were dead within 30 min of exposure. In a series of two experiments using electrocution techniques, a half blue and half black (UK) 1 m2 trigger target was determined to be acceptable for development studies. In the first experiment, an average of 350 stable flies per hr (maximum 794 flies in 1 hr) was collected using the UK target. A time-delayed circuit trial using untreated UK targets demonstrated that stable flies remained on or around the targets for at least 30 seconds. Two experiments were conducted with time-delayed circuits and UK targets treated with 0.1% lambdacyhalothrin. The number of flies collected using the 30 sec on/off treated target treatment was not different from the number of flies collected using the other treatments. The number of flies collected with UK trigger targets was 6.1-fold higher than that for alsynite cylinder traps in two experiments. We evaluated the nematode S. feltiae SN as a biological control agent of stable fly larvae in the laboratory towards second and third instars using a filter paper assay. Six replicates of 15 larvae were inoculated with 25, 75, 150, and 300 nematodes per maggot. Probit analysis was used to calculate LC50 values; the LC50 was 106 nematodes for second instars and 32 nematodes for the third instar larvae. Nematodes successfully reproduced and infective juvenile nematodes emerged from the third instar larvae. Subsequently, field studies on larval stable fly control were conducted. Three different hay bale residues (sites) each were partitioned into 12 approximately 1.2 m2 plots of which the central 1 m2 area was subsequently treated. There were 12 treatments: water, nematodes, and permethrin each applied in 4 different volumes (4, 8, 20 and 40 liters). Approximately 150,000 nematodes were applied in each volume. The permethrin was applied at .05 percent ai in all treatments. After treatments were applied, three 415 cm2 cylindrical emergence traps were placed in the center of each plot. The number of adult stable flies in each emergence trap was recorded three times per week for six weeks. Emergence was compared using ANOVA followed by Tukey's mean separation test. For all treatments, the number of flies emerging in permethrin treated plots (0.06 +/- 0.3 to 0.8 +/- 1.9) was significantly less than in the control plots (3.0 +/- 3.3 to 4.8 +/- 6.6) and the nematode treated plots (2.4 +/- 3.0 to 5.7 +/- 6.9). During the study, up to an estimated 4,511 to 5,347 adult stable flies per 1 m2 emerged from the water and nematode treated plots while less than 100 per 1 m2 emerged from the two highest volume permethrin treated plots. IMPACT: 2003/09 TO 2006/08 The virulence of the nematode S. feltiae SN towards third instar stable fly larvae appeared to be at a level that would allow control of stable flies, but the field applications were not effective. The results of this study indicated that application of permethrin to hay residues can greatly reduce the number of adult stable flies produced by these habitats. A single round hay bale residue can create a 10 m2 stable fly larval habitat which under the conditions of our study can generate over 50,000 adult stable flies over a 6 week period. The high dose permethrin treatments were shown to reduce the number of emerging stable fly adults by 99 percent. The results of this study also indicated that treated cloth targets may be a viable addition for stable fly control programs. It has been demonstrated that permethrin-treated Alsynite traps at a rate of one per five head of cattle at two sites in Florida provided a more than 30% reduction of a stable fly population. The results of our trap comparison studies indicate that our targets will be much more effective than these traps, and that we should be able to achieve adult stable fly control with a reasonable and manageable number of targets. The data indicate that one treated target could have a potential to eliminate over 10,000 adult stable flies per day. Protecting growing cattle from moderate stable fly infestations has been shown to result in approximately 50 pounds of additional weight gain over a 100 day period, which could result in a sixty dollar difference per head in today's market. PUBLICATIONS (not previously reported): 2003/09 TO 2006/08 1. Foil, L., and J. Hogsette. Treated targets for stable fly control. Proc. XXII International Congress of Entomology. Brisbane, Australia. August 2004 p. 173. 2. Foil, L.D. Control of mechanical transmission of agents of livestock diseases. Proc. First International Symposium on Hemoparasites and their Vectors. Caracas, Venezuela. October 2004 p. 46. 3. Foil, L., and Younger, C. 2006. Development of treated targets for controlling stable flies (Diptera: Muscidae). Veterinary Parasitology. 137: 311-315.

Outcomes N/A

Impacts The virulence of the nematode S. feltiae SN towards third instar stable fly larvae appeared to be at a level that would allow control of stable flies, but the field applications were not effective. The results of this study indicated that application of permethrin to hay residues can greatly reduce the number of adult stable flies produced by these habitats. A single round hay bale residue can create a 10 m2 stable fly larval habitat which under the conditions of our study can generate over 50,000 adult stable flies over a 6 week period. The high dose permethrin treatments were shown to reduce the number of emerging stable fly adults by 99 percent. The results of this study also indicated that treated cloth targets may be a viable addition for stable fly control programs. It has been demonstrated that permethrin-treated Alsynite traps at a rate of one per five head of cattle at two sites in Florida provided a more than 30% reduction of a stable fly population. The results of our trap comparison studies indicate that our targets will be much more effective than these traps, and that we should be able to achieve adult stable fly control with a reasonable and manageable number of targets. The data indicate that one treated target could have a potential to eliminate over 10,000 adult stable flies per day. Protecting growing cattle from moderate stable fly infestations has been shown to result in approximately 50 pounds of additional weight gain over a 100 day period, which could result in a sixty dollar difference per head in today's market.

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