Behaviour of the house fly, musca domestica (L.), in relation to insecticide baits
Behaviour of the house fly, musca domestica (L.), in relation to insecticide baits
The behaviour of a field strain of house fly in response to different components of insecticide baits was tested in the laboratory. `High contrast' granules, used to represent the two inert components of a granular insecticide bait (granules and visual contrast), attracted flies of both sexes. The magnitude of the response was initially high, but after two hours' exposure there was strong evidence of the house flies habituating to the inert bait components. `FLY MONITOR', a new microcomputer-based technique, was developed to record the behaviour of numerous individual flies and to enable accurate estimates to be made of the behaviour of the experimental population. Using `FLY MONITOR' to test artificial baits of differing contrast and granules it was concluded that the sex of the fly, the type of artificial bait and the duration of exposure of the flies to the bait all affected the total time flies remained at the bait, the number of visits involved and their duration. Artificial baits which combined the components of visual contrast and granules in the same bait maximised the total time flies of either sex remained at the bait. In still air tests performed with the synthetic fly pheromones (Z)-9-tricosene and (Z)-9-heneicosene, neither pheromone affected the behaviour of females, while both pheromones and mixtures of the two modified male behaviour. The principal effects on males were an increase in the percentage visiting the pheromone source and the number of visits to the pheromone source. The effects on mated males were greater than on virgin males. Mixtures of the two pheromones did not elicit more responses from mated males than did (Z)-9-tricosene alone. Baits including different combinations of sugar, (Z)-9-tricosene and conspicuous granules significantly affected the total time flies remained at a bait, the number of visits to the bait and the duration of these visits. The effects of combining bait components on the total time males remained at the bait was at least additive, and in many instances synergistic. The amount of time flies remained at a bait was highest for males where sugar, (Z)-9-tricosene and conspicuous granules were combined, and highest for females where sugar and granules were combined. Considerable differences existed in the mechanisms of the response by four strains of house fly to a bait of visually conspicuous granules and sugar. These differences reflected the recent selection pressures exerted on the strains in the laboratory or farm environment.
University of Southampton
1988
Nicholas, James Treive
(1988)
Behaviour of the house fly, musca domestica (L.), in relation to insecticide baits.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
The behaviour of a field strain of house fly in response to different components of insecticide baits was tested in the laboratory. `High contrast' granules, used to represent the two inert components of a granular insecticide bait (granules and visual contrast), attracted flies of both sexes. The magnitude of the response was initially high, but after two hours' exposure there was strong evidence of the house flies habituating to the inert bait components. `FLY MONITOR', a new microcomputer-based technique, was developed to record the behaviour of numerous individual flies and to enable accurate estimates to be made of the behaviour of the experimental population. Using `FLY MONITOR' to test artificial baits of differing contrast and granules it was concluded that the sex of the fly, the type of artificial bait and the duration of exposure of the flies to the bait all affected the total time flies remained at the bait, the number of visits involved and their duration. Artificial baits which combined the components of visual contrast and granules in the same bait maximised the total time flies of either sex remained at the bait. In still air tests performed with the synthetic fly pheromones (Z)-9-tricosene and (Z)-9-heneicosene, neither pheromone affected the behaviour of females, while both pheromones and mixtures of the two modified male behaviour. The principal effects on males were an increase in the percentage visiting the pheromone source and the number of visits to the pheromone source. The effects on mated males were greater than on virgin males. Mixtures of the two pheromones did not elicit more responses from mated males than did (Z)-9-tricosene alone. Baits including different combinations of sugar, (Z)-9-tricosene and conspicuous granules significantly affected the total time flies remained at a bait, the number of visits to the bait and the duration of these visits. The effects of combining bait components on the total time males remained at the bait was at least additive, and in many instances synergistic. The amount of time flies remained at a bait was highest for males where sugar, (Z)-9-tricosene and conspicuous granules were combined, and highest for females where sugar and granules were combined. Considerable differences existed in the mechanisms of the response by four strains of house fly to a bait of visually conspicuous granules and sugar. These differences reflected the recent selection pressures exerted on the strains in the laboratory or farm environment.
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Published date: 1988
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Local EPrints ID: 461041
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/461041
PURE UUID: 0a70b6a1-0b2e-4da8-ab95-33897800dcab
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 18:34
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 18:34
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Author:
James Treive Nicholas
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