Distribution of Biting Flies Associated with Swine Production Facilities in the Southeastern United States

Abstract

High populations of pest flies on swine facilities can be detrimental to the animals and producers. The purpose of this study was to identify the distribution pattern and the influence of habitats on distribution of adult biting flies surrounding commercial swine production barns in North Carolina. In this study, fly surveillance was conducted on four swine facilities in Bladen County, North Carolina, U.S.A., from January to October 2019. Biting flies typically associated with livestock were passively collected weekly on sticky traps, which were placed in three concentric circles surrounding swine barns, and then counted and identified. Stable flies [Stomoxys calcitrans (L.); Diptera: Muscidae] were most abundant on swine facilities that were mixed-use with pastured beef cattle. However, swine producers with no pastured cattle should be aware of the potential for stable flies to disperse from off-property larval development sites. Therefore, adult fly management may be necessary if populations reach nuisance levels. Horse and deer fly (Diptera: Tabanidae) captures were not related to trap proximity to water. Differences in horse and deer fly trap captures was likely less of a reflection of differences in potential fly development habitat quality (e.g., water) and more related to adult fly habitat selection.

Black blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) bacterial symbionts inform oviposition site selection by stable flies (Diptera: Muscidae)

“…Fly factor semiochemicals cross-attract heterospecific blow flies in the same taxonomic family ( Brodie et al 2015 ) but may, or may not, cross-attract—and affect oviposition—by flies in distinctively different taxonomic families, such as the calliphorid black blow flies and the muscid stable flies. Stable flies and black blow flies coinhabit livestock production facilities ( Teskey 1960 , Coffey 1966 , Machtinger et al 2021 , 2023 ), with overlap in feeding and oviposition resources, such as accumulations of organic matter (e.g., manure) ( Norris 1965 , Stoffolano et al 1995 ). Both blow flies and stable flies respond to semiochemicals emanating from conspecific excreta ( Carlson et al 2000 , Brodie et al 2015 ).…”