BEHAVIORAL RESPONSE OF HOUSE FLY, MUSCA DOMESTICA L. (DIPTERA: MUSCIDAE) TO NATURAL PRODUCTS

The house fly Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) is a medically important insect worldwide because adults are an annoyance and mechanical carriers of various pathogens, and the larvae cause myiasis in humans and animals. In order to efficiently control fly populations, information on the most suitable baits to attract adult flies, either for food source or reproductive success of oviposition, is essential. We investigated the behavioral response of this fly species, using a dual-choice wind tunnel (T-box), to natural products, both of animal and plant origins. Correlation between wind speed and fly response showed that the wind speed set at 0.4 m/s was the optimal speed for T-box testing with this species. One hundred 5 to 7 day-old adult males or females deprived of food and water for 15 hours were transferred into a clean rearing cage for 5 minutes. Two hundred grams of a natural product (41 in total) were introduced into the cage, and response to the natural product was considered positive when the flies landed and/or stayed on the natural product within 5 minutes of placement in the cage. The natural products that attracted >50% of flies were used as the candidate odor sources for further study in the T-box experiments. Only 12/41 natural attracted >50% of the flies in the 5 minutes observation period, with fresh beef viscera being the most attractive for both sexes (>= 74%). These 12 natural products were then assessed for their attractiveness in the T-box using a wind speed of 0.4 m/s, and the assay indicated that fresh beef viscera was still the most attractive product to lure flies. Finally, we compared the three most attractive products for house fly (1st - fresh beef viscera, 2nd - ripe banana, 3rd - fresh beef liver) against each other. Fly preferred the fresh beef viscera as the most attractive product in direct comparison with the: other two products. Information on luring and trapping adult house fly can be used in the development of a suitable attractant bait to be used in fly population control programs.