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Funded Project

Funding Program: Regional IPM Grants (S-RIPM)

Project Title: Push-Pull Fly Management for Deep Bedded Swine Barns

Project Director (PD): D. Wes Watson [1]

Lead State: NC Lead Organization: NC State University

Research Funding: $97,897

Start Date: May-22-2008 End Date: May-21-2011

Pests Involved: flies

Site/Commodity: swine

Summary: This is a research project is designed to employ a stimulo-deterrent diversionary strategy (SDDS) or Push-pull strategy (PPS) to manage arthropod pests. PPS has been successfully used in a variety of integrated cropping systems, including onions and cotton. The concept relies on the manipulation of the pest by applying pressures to induce behavioral changes that result in less damage to the crop. PPS uses a variety of compounds including repellents, oviposition deterrents, and antifeedants to push the pest away from the crop. PPS couples these agents with others that pull the pests toward an unsuitable crop. The latter may be pheromones, attractants, and feeding stimulants often in the form of a trap crop. Application of PPS may have utility in the management of pests in animal agriculture. We propose the use of plant derived insect repellents, geraniol and 2-undecanone, and an entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana for the control of house flies and stable flies in alternative swine production systems. Europe has taken the lead in developing alternative swine production systems, including growing pigs on deep-bedded open floors allowing the pigs to move freely about the building. As the pigs become accustomed to the housing, separate resting and dunging areas become established. These dunging areas are breeding sites for filth flies and in turn become a nuisance and spread pathogens on or between farms. The goal of this project is to document and demonstrate push-pull pest management strategies to minimize the severity of filth fly infestation in a dry-bedding waste management system. Objectives: 1. Specific objectives include the characterization of the dynamics of filth fly breeding and beneficial insect activity in the hoop barn management system. 2. Define the optimal dose formulation to maximize fly repellency in a swine barn 3. Evaluate the push-pull strategy using plant derived insect repellents and the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana, in deep-bedded swine production facilities. 4. Develop an efficient, effective integrated pest management system that reduces house and stable flies within hoop style swine barns.

Final Report:

Results From report submitted by the PI to USDA CRIS report system PROGRESS: 2010/07 TO 2011/06 OUTPUTS: The push-pull strategy is the manipulation of the pest by applying pressures to induce behavioral changes that result in less crop damage. Conceptually a variety of compounds, including repellents, are used to "push" the pest away from the crop. Other agents pull the pests toward an unsuitable or trap crop using lures such as pheromones, attractants, and feeding stimulants. In this study we are using the repellent geraniol to induce change in fly behaviors resulting in reduced fly populations in straw bedded swine houses. We characterized the insect community within deep bedded swine houses that have received no insecticide inputs. House flies are the most abundant pest species present. The vinegar fly is a common pest in conventional and deep bedded swine production. Stable flies are common outside the swine houses and enter the hoop barns to feed on the pigs. Flies are a present throughout the warm months when sufficient bedding and manure supports the immature population. Abundant parasitoids and predatory mites help keep the fly population low. Geraniol at 3% concentration effectively repelled flies in laboratory assays but a 1% geraniol concentration was sufficient to repell flies in field studies. Mark and recapture studies were performed to demonstrate natural fly movement and fly movement in response to the push-pull strategy. Natural fly movement experiments indicated that most (60%) marked flies remained where released. The remaining 40% of the flies relocated to other barns. Under pressure from geraniol repellent spray 60% of the marked flies were "pushed" to barns other than where released and there was an 11 and 27% increase in the number of flies in the "Pull" barns, respectively. Isolates of the insect pathogen, Beauveria bassiana, were screened against flies. Weekly one barn was treated with the insect pathogen and 3 barns were treated with geraniol. Some flies abandoned the geraniol treated barns and entered the pathogen treated barn. Collected wild flies were monitored for mortality and about 14% of the field collected flies died from exposure to the pathogen. Presentations at scientific meetings: Lena Guisewite, Deena Bermudez, Emma Susick, Siddhartha Thakur, and Wes Watson. 2010. Potential of House Flies to Transmit Salmonella and Campylobacter in an Antibiotic-free (ABF) Swine System. 42nd annual Society for Vector Ecology Conf. Raleigh, NC L.M. Guisewite, S. S. Denning, J. A. Cammack. D. W. Watson. 2011. Efficacy of Geraniol as a Fly Repellent. Entomology Graduate Student Symposium. Raleigh, NC L. M. Guisewite, S. S. Denning, J. A. Cammack, and D. W. Watson. 2011. Geraniol as a Potential fly (Diptera:Muscidae) Repellent. 85th Annual 2011 South Eastern Branch ESA Meeting San Juan, Puerto Rico. L. M. Guisewite and D. W. Watson. 2011. Graduate Student Research in Entomology at a Land Grant Institution. TriBeta Biological Honor Society Induction Ceremony University of North Carolina at Pembroke, NC. PARTICIPANTS: D. W. Watson, Department of Entomology. Primary Investigator (PI) Conceived the project. He is knowledgeable of the insects and their ecology associated with the operation and provided oversight for the project. Michael Roe, Department of Entomology. Co PI, Provided advice on the physiological response on insects to repellents. Morgan Morrow, Department of Animal Science. Co PI. Provided access to the animals and expertise in the husbandry practices common to swine production sytems. Steve Denning, Technician. Insect rearing, and application technology. Heather Moscrip, ME Student. Developed procedures for evaluating repellency effects on test insects. Lena Guisewite, MS Student. Performed the primary research effort for the project. She conducted most of the research on the farm and in the laboratory. Conducted the bioassays to evaluate repellency effects, cultured the insect pathogens and conducted bioassays to establish dose. Designed, developed and conducted the mark and release studies. Niki Whitley, Animal Science, North Carolina A&T. Swine Herd Director, Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS). Coordinates all projects with collaborating scientists. Siddhartha Thakur, DVM, Ph.D. North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Epidemiology of Swine Diseases. Center for Environmental Farming Systems. Summer Intern Program. A total of 23 undergraduate interns from universities throughout the US participated in a 8-week program at CEFS. Interns are exposed to a variety of on farm projects and actively participate in research efforts of special interest. TARGET AUDIENCES: The Center for Environmental Farming Systems is a collaborative effort between the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, North Carolina State University and North Carolina A & T, a historically black university. These students are actively interested in learning traditional and alternative agricultural practices. Interns interested in animal agriculture may participate in projects on the swine, dairy, or beef units. Interns gain experience in diversified farming systems. As part of the centers outreach and extension effort. Local farmers participate in education and training at CEFS. Farmers may receive pesticide recertification credits, obtain refresher training on insect biology and lifecycle, and learn of new methods of treating and controlling insects of importance. Farmers were introduced to the concept and practice of the "push pull" management strategy and we able to see this strategy in practice. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. IMPACT: 2010/07 TO 2011/06 Swine production in deep bedded barns is a relatively recent change in husbandry practices. Although new to swine production, the use of straw or other plant material for bedding and the associated pest problems is well acknowledged by the dairy industry. The house fly and stable fly are common pests to both production systems and the vinegar fly in swine. In this study we used a novel approach to manage these insects. The push-pull approach relies on the manipulation of the pest by inducing behavioral changes that result in less damage. Changes are usually achieved by using a variety of chemicals, including repellents, oviposition deterrents, and antifeedants are used to "push" the pest away from the crop. Other agents "pull" the pests toward an unsuitable or trap crop using lures such as pheromones, attractants, and feeding stimulants. To "push" flies out of the barns we used the repellents, geraniol and tridecanone, which occur naturally in lemon grass and tomatoes, respectively. For the "pull" mechanism, we used the natural attraction flies have for swine and swine waste. Different was that this barn was treated with a naturally occurring insect pathogen, Beauveria bassiana. Several experiments we needed to determine proof of concept; 1. Determine an effective dose to repel the insects, 2. Evaluate efficacy of the insect pathogen. 3. Conduct mark and recapture studies with flies to determine movement between barns under natural conditions and under the "push-pull" strategy. The repellent geraniol was most effective against house flies and stable flies at 3% concentration. However in the field a 1% concentration was adequate to achieve our goals. The insect pathogen, Beauveria bassiana, effectively killed (98%) house flies and stable flies in 7 days and vinegar flies in 19 days. Prevalence of disease in the field was significantly lower indicating a improved formulations are needed. Laboratory reared house flies were used in the mark and recapture study. Without pressure from the repellent, 60% of the flies remained where they were released. Under repellent pressure only 40% of the flies remained where released. We observed an increase in the number of marked flies coming from the repellent sprayed barns in the untreated barns. We observed an increase in the number of diseased flies in the barn treated with the insect pathogen. These experiments clearly indicate that the push pull strategy can be used to manage flies in swine production. Many naturally occurring repellents and essential oils are recognized for their ability to alter insect behavior. These unique compounds are often derived from plant material and function as a renewable and sustainable resource. The use of repellents may well change how we manage insect pests in the future. Pending studies will focus on determining the longevity and durability of encapsulated repellents for use in large scale animal production systems. We will further examine the movement and dispersal of flies from and between livestock production facilities.

Impacts From report submitted by the PI to USDA CRIS report system Swine production in deep bedded barns is a relatively recent change in husbandry practices. Although new to swine production, the use of straw or other plant material for bedding and the associated pest problems is well acknowledged by the dairy industry. The house fly and stable fly are common pests to both production systems and the vinegar fly in swine. In this study we used a novel approach to manage these insects. The push-pull approach relies on the manipulation of the pest by inducing behavioral changes that result in less damage. Changes are usually achieved by using a variety of chemicals, including repellents, oviposition deterrents, and antifeedants are used to "push" the pest away from the crop. Other agents "pull" the pests toward an unsuitable or trap crop using lures such as pheromones, attractants, and feeding stimulants. To "push" flies out of the barns we used the repellents, geraniol and tridecanone, which occur naturally in lemon grass and tomatoes, respectively. For the "pull" mechanism, we used the natural attraction flies have for swine and swine waste. Different was that this barn was treated with a naturally occurring insect pathogen, Beauveria bassiana. Several experiments we needed to determine proof of concept; 1. Determine an effective dose to repel the insects, 2. Evaluate efficacy of the insect pathogen. 3. Conduct mark and recapture studies with flies to determine movement between barns under natural conditions and under the "push-pull" strategy. The repellent geraniol was most effective against house flies and stable flies at 3% concentration. However in the field a 1% concentration was adequate to achieve our goals. The insect pathogen, Beauveria bassiana, effectively killed (98%) house flies and stable flies in 7 days and vinegar flies in 19 days. Prevalence of disease in the field was significantly lower indicating a improved formulations are needed. Laboratory reared house flies were used in the mark and recapture study. Without pressure from the repellent, 60% of the flies remained where they were released. Under repellent pressure only 40% of the flies remained where released. We observed an increase in the number of marked flies coming from the repellent sprayed barns in the untreated barns. We observed an increase in the number of diseased flies in the barn treated with the insect pathogen. These experiments clearly indicate that the push pull strategy can be used to manage flies in swine production. Many naturally occurring repellents and essential oils are recognized for their ability to alter insect behavior. These unique compounds are often derived from plant material and function as a renewable and sustainable resource. The use of repellents may well change how we manage insect pests in the future. Pending studies will focus on determining the longevity and durability of encapsulated repellents for use in large scale animal production systems. We will further examine the movement and dispersal of flies from and between livestock production facilities.

Outcomes N/A

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