Transgenerational effects of lambda-cyhalothrin on Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae)

The hormetic effect may cause disease control measures to fail due to inadequate treatment of human disease vectors such as houseflies. Age-stage, two-sex life table is used for accurate estimation of the hermetic impacts on insects as it allows to study sub-lethal or transgenerational effects. Pyrethroids insecticides are primarily used for the management of houseflies. This study used lambda-cyhalothrin (a pyrethroid insecticide) to quantify its transgenerational impacts on houseflies. Life table parameters of a progeny of adult houseflies exposed to LC₁₀, LC_30, and LC₅₀ of lambda-cyhalothrin were computed. Statistically higher fecundity (71.31 per female) was observed in control treatment, while it was the adults exposed to LC₅₀ recorded the lowest progeny. Significantly higher values for intrinsic rate of growth (r), limiting rate of growth (λ), and net reproductive rate (R_o) (0.16, 1.16, and 31.38 per day, respectively) were recorded for the control treatment of the study. Contrarily, lower values for λ, R_o, and r were (0.10, 1.10, and 9.24 per day, respectively) were noted in the LC₅₀ treatment. Decreased population parameters suggest that lambda-cyhalothrin can be successfully used in indoor environments to control houseflies.