Longevity of Fly Baits Exposed to Field Conditions

Insecticidal fly baits are important tools for adult house fly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), control, especially on animal operations. Two house fly baits, containing either cyantraniliprole or dinotefuran, were tested on a dairy farm for attractiveness over time compared to a sugar control. Sticky trap and bucket trap house fly catches were recorded for each bait type at 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 168 h. After 1 wk of exposure to flies and field conditions, these 'aged' baits were tested against fresh baits for fly visitation in the field over 1 h. House flies from each bait type (aged and fresh) were collected and kept under laboratory conditions to assess mortality over 3 d. Average visitation of individual flies to each bait type (fresh) in the field was also evaluated. Sticky traps did not show significant fly catch differences among bait types over time, however bucket trap catches did show significant differences for cyantraniliprole bait and dinotefuran bait compared to sugar at 72 h and 168 h. No significant differences among fly visitation to aged or fresh baits were found. Fresh cyantraniliprole bait and dinotefuran bait resulted in greater fly mortality compared to controls, but not compared to aged toxic baits. Average house fly visitation time was greatest for sugar and cyantraniliprole bait.