Fly Dispersal in a Rural Area near Savannah, Georgia

Wild Florida House Flies (Musca domestica) as Carriers of Pathogenic Bacteria

“…However, its classification as a "disease causing fly" is based on 5 scientific criteria (Olsen 1998), as follows: (1) its confirmed association with the foodborne pathogens Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Shigella, (2) the fact that it is ecologically associated with humans (synanthropic), (3) its association with domestic environments (endophilic), (4) its equal attraction to excrements and human food sources, and (5) its communicative behavior that allows the house fly to easily move from heavily contaminated to human populated areas. House flies are capable of traveling up to 8 km in 24 h to find food and reproductive sites (Quarterman et al 1954;Broce 1993). One of the most dangerous characteristics of the house fly is its feeding preferences because they are attracted to decaying plant and animal matter.…”

Livestock-associated MRSA survival on house flies (Musca domestica) and stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans) after removal from a Danish pig farm

“…The distance estimations derived from the Quarterman et al 38 , Schoof et al 39 and Chakrabarti et al 40 studies indicate that almost all pig farms or residential addresses in Denmark can be reached by stable-and house flies within a 24 h timeframe where, according to our time-to-event analysis, still a substantial proportion of flies would carry live LA-MRSA bacteria. Although the distance estimates derived from the Taylor et al 37 study are shorter, still a substantial proportion of Danish pig farms and residential addresses would lie within reach of a stable-or house fly which could potentially still be carrying live LA-MRSA bacteria.…”

“…In another mark-recapture study, Quarterman et al 38 recovered house flies up to 8 km from their release point within 24 h in rural Georgia, USA, where they noted that the flies tended to seek out favourable foraging and breeding sites. Schoof et al 39 found that house fly dispersal is lower in metropolitan areas, recording distances of up to 4.8 km within 48 h (2.4 km every 24 h, assuming similar dispersal distances each day), with the majority of flies not dispersing more than 1.6 km from their release site.…”

“…Given the dispersal ranges from Taylor et al 37 , stable flies would be able to traverse the distance between 0.1-5.8% of residential addresses and their nearest pig farm within 24 h, 0. 38 , house flies would be able to traverse the distance between 98.7% of residential addresses and their nearest pig farm within 24 h. From a random pig farm, house flies would be capable of reaching the nearest neighbouring pig farm in 99.9% of cases within 24 h.…”

A Study of the Environmental Factors Affecting the Dispersion of House Flies (Musca domestica L.) in a Dairy Community near Fort Whyte, Manitoba

“…Some of these questions were answered in investigations during the summer of 3951, by releasing and recovering radioactive house flies in a dairy community near Fort Urhyte, hlanitoba. Considerable smdv on the dispersion of house flies has been done by previous workers, including ~a r k e r (1916), Bishopp and Laake ( 192 I), Lindquist (195 Quartermann et a1 (1954a and1954b). Some workers claimed that house flies do orientate to wind-borne odors, others stated that wind has no effect on the dispersion of house flies, and still others believed that flies moved downwind in greater numbers than upwind.…”